Because there was no rendezvous and docking mission on this flight, Shenzhou VI cancelled the additional segment for this function. In addition, the spacecraft added more than 40 devices and 6 softwares, making the number of devices and 82 softwares more than 6.5438+million.
The improvement of Shenzhou VI can be roughly summarized into four aspects:
First, around the improvement of the multi-day task of two people. First of all, we have prepared enough or even excess astronaut consumables, including food, water and sleeping bags. The food cabinet was put in the orbital module, which was empty before. According to the water consumption of one and a half thermos bottles per person per day, the astronauts' water is prepared with water tanks and separate soft packages. Secondly, the environmental control ability of the cockpit is improved. A person exhales nearly a liter of water a day. Shenzhou VI improved the ability to condense water vapor, expanded the condensation water tank, and put water-absorbing materials on all exposed pipes to ensure that the humidity of the spacecraft was controlled below 80%. Oxygen, temperature and humidity in the cabin can be automatically sensed and adjusted.
Second, the improvement of the function and use of the orbital module. Astronauts have many necessities, such as food heating devices and tableware. There is a sleeping bag hanging in the orbital module for two astronauts to take turns to rest. In weightlessness, people can actually sleep in the air, but considering the habits of people on the ground, sleeping bags artificially create a feeling of "bed", otherwise astronauts may have the illusion of rolling in the deep when sleeping. There is also a special cleaning cabinet in the orbital module, and astronauts can clean it with items such as wet wipes. This is the first time to use the urine collector.
Third, improve the safety of astronauts. The astronaut seat of the return capsule is designed with landing buffer function, which is to ensure the safety of astronauts when the thrust rocket fails. In the Shenzhou 5 spacecraft, only the seat on which Yang Liwei was seated has the landing buffer function, and there is a small defect, that is, it is difficult for astronauts to see the situation outside the porthole before returning. Shenzhou VI redesigned the buffer and carried out repeated tests with the whole ship. The three tests dropped from the tower and the plane were successful every time. If the hatch between the return module and the orbital module is not tightly closed when returning, it will threaten the safety of astronauts. Three astronauts were killed in Russia. Shenzhou VI researchers have successfully developed a quick and automatic inspection device for cabin door seal, and developed a special rag for several months, which does not produce fiber, static electricity and odor, and is specially used for cleaning cabin doors.
Fourth, continuous improvement. China's manned spaceflight project was officially launched in 1992, and it has been 13 years. Some parts and raw materials originally used on the spacecraft are no longer produced, and some technologies are a bit outdated. Shenzhou VI made some daily continuous improvements. For example, the "black box" from Shenzhou I to Shenzhou 5 was developed in 1994, with a storage capacity of only 10 trillion. Nowadays, the storage capacity of the black box is not only 100 times larger than the original, but also the data reading and writing speed is increased by more than 10 times, but the volume is less than half of the original.
Composition of Shenzhou VI spacecraft
Orbital module: "multifunctional hall"
Shenzhou spaceship orbital module is a cylinder with a total length of 2.8m and a maximum diameter of 2.25m.. One end is connected with the return cabin, and the other end is connected with the space docking mechanism. Shenzhou VI's orbital module is called "multifunctional hall" because two astronauts are in the orbital module at other times except when taking off and returning. The orbital module integrates many functions such as working, eating, sleeping, washing and convenience.
Escape Tower: Ensure the safety of the spaceship.
Escape Tower: Located at the front of the spacecraft, it is 8 meters high. It is actually a small launch vehicle composed of a series of rocket engines. 900 seconds before the launch of the launch vehicle and 160 seconds after the launch? The running distance of the rocket ranges from 0 to 100 km. In case of emergency, this life-saving tower will be activated urgently, dragging the return module and orbital module of Shenzhou VI spacecraft away from the rocket, quickly escaping from the dangerous area and landing to safety through parachute.
Orbital module: the "home" of astronauts
Orbital module: also known as working module. Its shape is a cylinder with cone angles at both ends, which is the "space bedroom" and "workshop" for astronauts. It also has two functions: astronaut's living module and orbital experimental module, so it is also called orbital module. The orbital module is equipped with a variety of experimental equipment and instruments, which can be used for earth observation. On both sides, it is equipped with retractable large-scale solar cell panels, solar sensors, various antennas and various docking structures, which are used to convert solar energy into spacecraft energy and communicate with the ground. As an astronaut's "space bedroom", the environment of the orbital module is very comfortable, and the temperature in the module is generally between 17 and 25 degrees Celsius.
Return capsule: astronaut's "cab"
Return capsule: also known as cockpit, it is the "cab" of astronauts. It is the cabin for astronauts to travel to and from space. This is a closed structure with a hatch in front. After "Shenzhou VI" completed its mission around the earth, two astronauts will also return to Earth in the return capsule.
Propulsion module: also known as instrument module. Usually install propulsion system, power supply, track brake, and provide oxygen and water for astronauts. There are also main solar cell sails with an area of more than 20 square meters on both sides of the propulsion cabin.
Why did you choose to go public in autumn?
Morning News Comprehensive Xinhua News Agency Careful people will notice that China's first manned spaceship, Shenzhou 5, was successfully launched at this time two years ago. Is it a coincidence that the launch of Shenzhou VI this year coincides with the golden autumn season? No. This is because the meteorological conditions in autumn are most suitable for China to launch manned spacecraft.
The selection of launch season of spacecraft should comprehensively consider various factors that may affect the launch, among which meteorological conditions are the most direct and key determinant.
After the spacecraft is put into orbit, TT&C network will manage the spacecraft TT&C. If shenzhou spaceship is compared to a kite flying into space, TT&C net in space is an important kite line. China's space TT&C network consists of several TT&C ground stations and four Roy space survey ships. The four survey vessels are Roy 1 and Roy 2 in the Pacific Ocean, Roy 4 in the Indian Ocean and Roy 3 in the Atlantic Ocean. Among them, three survey ships are in the southern hemisphere with relatively high latitude.
The seasons in the southern hemisphere are just the opposite of those in our country. China's spring and summer seasons are autumn and winter seasons in the southern hemisphere, and the sea conditions are harsh, so it is difficult to ensure safety even when sailing normally, let alone performing monitoring and control tasks at sea, which is not suitable for launching spacecraft. Autumn and winter seasons in China are spring and summer seasons in the southern hemisphere, and the sea conditions are good, which is convenient for navigation and investigation tasks. Therefore, the launch timing of China's Shenzhou-1 to Shenzhou 5 spacecraft is chosen in autumn and winter, which is opposite to the southern hemisphere.
In addition, compared with autumn and winter, although Shenzhou IV launched on June 30, 2002 broke the historical record of China's low-temperature launch, in manned space flight, people-oriented and fully ensuring the safety of astronauts became the biggest feature of the launch, so the meteorological conditions in the launch section are also very important. Obviously, autumn is more suitable than winter. Therefore, two years ago, Shenzhou 5 and this year's Shenzhou VI manned spacecraft both chose to launch in autumn.
According to Gong Jiancun, a researcher at the Space Environment Forecasting Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, "this year is close to the bottom of the cycle. It is expected that the solar activity during the Shenzhou VI flight will be stable and suitable for human space activities. "
Gong Jiancun said that people have learned that the solar activity cycle is 1 1 year, with the peak in 2000 and the trough in 2006. Therefore, the frequency of abnormal solar activity this year is low, and the general trend is beneficial to human space activities. Shenzhou VI will fly in "fine weather".