BRICS in space?

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

October 17 at 07.30 local time (02.30 Moscow time) China successfully launches Shenzhou 11 spacecraft into space with two astronauts on board. China Central Television (CCTV) broadcasted the launch live.

Shenzhou-11

The launch of the spacecraft using the Changzheng-2F launch vehicle was carried out from the Jiuquan cosmodrome. There are two astronauts on board: Jing Haipeng? the commander of the ship, for whom this flight was the third, and Chen Dong, who made it for the first time. In two days, the spacecraft at an altitude of 393 km should dock with the Tiangong-2 space laboratory, launched into orbit on September 15.

The astronauts will stay in orbit for 33 days, which will be a record for China. During their work, the astronauts will conduct about 14 scientific experiments on the problems of air pollution, quantum communications, microgravity, gamma-ray bursts, the effect of weightlessness on the human cardiovascular system, and others. The crew will work 6 days a week for 8 hours. The cosmonauts will devote their free time to maintaining their physical fitness on an exercise bike and communicating with their families via video link. Upon completion of the work program, the cosmonauts on the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft will dock from the station and return to Earth within 24 hours.

Tiangong-2

The station is compact and not designed for a long stay of astronauts in orbit. For a long-term stay in orbit, the station must have simulators that require additional space. Without physical activity, bones lose calcium in zero gravity and become fragile.

Together with Tiangong-2, the first high-precision cold atomic clock of a new generation was delivered to orbit. Cold hours will improve the performance of China's Beidou satellite navigation network and become the standard of time. The astronauts will have to accept orders for research from scientific communities around the world.

In April 2017, the first Tianzhou cargo spacecraft will go to the space station. The ship is designed for cargo weighing up to 13.5 tons.

China is currently developing a new orbital station, Tiangong-3, which is slated to launch in 2018. In terms of weight and volume, the station will be half the size of the Mir station. Three cosmonauts will spend 40 days on it.

The construction of China's own orbital stations is associated with the US and NASA's ban on Chinese astronauts from visiting the International Space Station. The reason for this was the theft of secret US technologies by China.

Are they similar or not?

The Shenzhou spacecraft is in many ways similar to the Russian Soyuz spacecraft. "Shenzhou" has exactly the same layout of modules as "Soyuz" - an instrument-assembly compartment, a descent vehicle and a utility compartment. Shenzhou is about the same size as Soyuz. The entire structure of the spacecraft and all its systems are approximately identical (taking into account the conversion to the standards in force in the PRC) to the Soviet spacecraft of the Soyuz series, and the orbital module is built using technologies used in the series of Soviet space stations Salyut.

In 2005, the director of ZAO TsNIIMash-Export, Igor Reshetin, and four employees of the same ZAO were arrested on suspicion of espionage for the PRC and the transfer of space technologies. In 2007, Academician Reshetin was sentenced to 11.5 years in a strict regime colony [5]. The Chinese government asks to release Igor Reshetin and four workers who were arrested and sentenced to 11 years in Russia, and asks them to be placed under its wing in China.

The first group of Chinese cosmonauts underwent flight training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in the Star City near Moscow.

ISS reached 400 tons

The manned astronautics of China is developing, maybe not as fast as we would like, but at least without the deception that accompanied the whole story with the Austronauts. We wrote about it

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Today, the most modern complex in orbit is the ISS. It reached 400 tons, of which about 100 tons are in the Russian segment. Here the beginning was laid by the Russian Salute and Zarya, the American module will not be replaced today or tomorrow. But what will the astronauts be thrown into orbit? They refused the shuttle, without revealing secrets, and there is nothing to replace. NASA even stopped research, handing over all the documents to a private entrepreneur Elon Musk …

How long will the ISS hold out?

In February 2010, the International Space Station's Multilateral Management Board confirmed that there are no known technical restrictions at this stage for the continued operation of the ISS beyond 2015, and the US Administration has foreseen continued use of the ISS until at least 2020. NASA and Roscosmos are considering extending this deadline until at least 2024, and possibly extending it until 2027. In May 2014, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Rogozin stated: "Russia does not intend to extend the operation of the International Space Station after 2020"

Yes, the ISS is an old project, life needs to be replaced. And with today's attitude towards Russia, ever-increasing nervous attacks from the USA and the EU, can it be possible to undock our segment from the ISS? Let the Falcons evacuate their astronauts. And look at the Chinese with their achievements, so far modest, but promising, as future partners?

Vladimir Matveev Source

Shenzhou-11 launch