* All three Shenzhou-18 astronauts are from the post-1980s generation. At the press conference, they said that they will take good care of the Tiangong space station and make more achievements in the space laboratory.
* Astronauts have made detailed, systematic and intensive preparations for this mission, focusing on extravehicular activities (EVAs), emergency response, space management, equipment maintenance and test operations.
* The crew will remain in orbit for about six months, and will see the arrival of the Tianzhou-8 cargo ship and the Shenzhou-19 crew spacecraft during their stay.
by Xinhua Correspondents Liu Xin, Yuan Quan and Quan Xiaoshu
JIUQUAN, April 24 (Xinhua) — Chinese astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu will operate the Shenzhou-18 spacecraft, and Ye will be the commander, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced at a conference of the press. on Wednesday.
The Shenzhou-18 crew spacecraft will be launched at 8:59 pm Thursday (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, said Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of CMSA.
After entering the orbit, the Shenzhou-18 spacecraft will make a quick rendezvous and stop at the radial port of the Tianhe space station, which will take about 6.5 hours, to make a combination of three modules and three spacecraft, Lin said.
This will be the second space flight mission for Ye Guangfu who was a member of the Shenzhou-13 mission crew from October 2021 to April 2022. Li Cong and Li Guangsu, among the third group of Chinese scientists, both are the first people to reach space.
“My two crew members and I, along with the entire space mission team, are fully prepared and confident to complete this flight mission,” Ye told reporters earlier Wednesday. to the announcement.
All three Shenzhou-18 astronauts are from the post-1980s generation. At the press conference, they said that they will take good care of the Tiangong space station and make more achievements in the space laboratory.
EXPECTATION REASON
Yes, the 43-year-old spacewalker will lead his team on a series of challenging missions in microgravity.
“Going back to space also feels like a new beginning,” Ye said. Compared to his first mission, the current space station has a complex structure, difficult tasks and major operational problems. But You said the new team is full of confidence.
During the Shenzhou-13 mission, the ground team helped Ye exchange friendly greetings with the foreign partner via email.
“We two astronauts, one on the Chinese space station and the other on the International Space Station, shared our dreams of exploring the vast universe together,” Ye recalled.
The first Chinese astronaut to participate in a multinational exercise, Ye also extended an invitation to international partners to visit the Chinese space station. He said: “We extend our warmest invitation to our international colleagues to join us to explore its great potential and work for the benefit of all.”
“We have made comprehensive, systematic and intensive preparations for this mission, focusing on extravehicular activities (EVAs), emergency response, space station management, equipment maintenance and test operations,” Li Cong , the youngest member of the Shenzhou-18 crew. , said the press on Wednesday.
During the Shenzhou-18 mission, the main tasks of crew member Li Guangsu will be space experiments and experiments in advanced fields such as aeromedicine, basic physics, material science and life science.
“I am looking forward to the speed and passion of 7.9 kilometers per second, the special experience of weightlessness, and the wonderful feeling of flying without wings,” said Li Guangsu.
ADD THEM FIRST
The crew will remain in orbit for about six months, and will see the arrival of the Tianzhou-8 cargo ship and the Shenzhou-19 spacecraft during their stay, Lin said.
The crew will use scientific test cabinets and several vehicle loads to conduct more than 90 experiments in the field of basic physics in microgravity, space science, space life science, space medicine and space technology, Lin said. he said.
The country’s first marine ecology research project will also be implemented during the mission. Using zebrafish and goldfish algae to create an aquatic environment for self-cycling in orbit, the project aims to successfully grow vertebrates in space, Lin noted.
The world’s first in-orbit stem cell study on plant stem tips will be conducted to examine plant adaptation to gravity and provide theoretical support for space planting, said Lin.
The Shenzhou-18 spacecraft will conduct two to three EVAs, deploying six cargo payloads from the cargo airlock station module.
During EVAs, astronauts will install space debris protection equipment for extravehicular pipes, cables and critical equipment, and conduct extravehicular inspections, as appropriate, to ensure space safety, Lin said.
The crew of Shenzhou-18 is scheduled to return to the Dongfeng area in the north of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at the end of October this year. Enditem
(Zhou Zhou, Hu Tao, Liu Yiwei, Zhang Dan and Li Guoli also contributed to the story)
(Video editors: Li Qin, Zhu Cong, Hui Peipei, Luo Hui, Cao Ying and Li Ziwei) ■
#China #unveils #Shenzhou18 #crew #space #mission
