Face to face丨What is a space power? Interview with Wang Xiang, commander-in-chief of China Space Station System
On July 24, the Wentian experimental module of the Chinese space station was successfully launched.
On July 27, in the exhibition hall of the General Department of the China Academy of Space Technology, the "Face to Face" column interviewed Wang Xiang, the commander-in-chief of the China Manned Space Engineering Space Station System, who had just returned to Beijing from the Wenchang Launch Base.
China's space station turned into a "space homeport"
According to the mission schedule, another 20-ton spacecraft of the Chinese space station, the Mengtian Experiment Module, will be launched in October this year.
At that time, the Tianhe core module, the Wentian experimental module and the Mengtian experimental module will form the basic configuration of the "T" shape, and the orbital construction of the Chinese space station will be finally completed.
It is reported that after the completion of the Chinese space station this year, it will usher in a special partner - my country's first large-scale space survey telescope. According to the design, the survey telescope will co-orbit with the space station, and the space station will provide it with "space" that can be docked at any time. Homeport".
Wang Xiang:
Its observation plan is also based on 10 years, and its health status needs to be maintained and repaired during normal time, so what we designed is that whenever it flies and needs maintenance and repair, it will dock at the space station. superior.
Reporter:
This home port is just like the current aircraft carrier, where supplies can be supplied wherever it goes.
Wang Xiang:
Yes, we call it a space homeport. This model can actually be promoted. More aircrafts similar to those that need maintenance can be docked with the space station in this form, and the role of the space station in the sky and the role of people in the sky can be realized. make full use of it.
In order to give full play to the role of the space station, researchers have also tried every means to extend its service life. In Wang Xiang's view, the actual service life of my country's space station is much longer than its 10-year design life.
Wang Xiang:
We designed it to be detachable, replaceable and maintainable, and it can be upgraded by means of replacement. After these measures are taken, we hope to extend it to 15 years or more.
Reporter:
But if its lifespan expires one day, it cannot be recycled and can only be destroyed by re-entry into the atmosphere.
Wang Xiang:
Yes, but it can be updated. It is an extensible open system. We can continue to connect an expansion cabin. This expansion cabin can bring a new node cabin. I can expand it again. The old cabin is new. The module can be replaced continuously, and by this means, we can also extend the time we work and fly in orbit.
What is a space powerhouse?
Since Shenzhou No. 8, in the eleven years, the "Shenzhou" series of spacecraft have successfully carried out 10 rendezvous and docking missions, and China has achieved the world's leading position.
Wang Xiang:
At that time, there was a country that participated in the construction of the International Space Station, and some of their research staff had technical exchanges with us. During the exchange, they discussed the process of rendezvous and docking after their capsule went up, and when arranging flight procedures, this Things have to be done in seconds, and I suddenly have a feeling of deja vu.
We had this feeling in Shen 6 and Shen 7 at the time. At that time, we all relied on the ground measurement and control station. The measurement and control time of the ground station was very short, and it took a few minutes for each station. This kind of constraint is very big for us. It felt like a matter of seconds, and he said the same thing.
I think it's a bit strange, so I'll just say why you have to have this time limit for this matter, can't you just extend it for a while?
He said yes, but we have the constraints of measurement and control resources, then I am even more strange. I said that you either have TDRS, or the entire space station of the US relay satellite is completed under this system. He said that we want to Paying money, he said it counts in seconds.
Therefore, although there are very abundant measurement and control conditions in theory, in fact, there are still very strict restrictions on the implementation of tasks. He said, do you have such restrictions?
I said we used to have it, but now that we have relay satellites, our star is our own, and we can use this resource according to our needs, so we are not limited by this.
Relay satellites are equivalent to data transfer stations in the sky. Since the launch of the Tianlian-1 01 satellite in April 2008, my country has built a relay satellite system with global coverage, which provides strong support for my country's manned spaceflight. support.
Wang Xiang:
This incident has touched me a lot, including who is strong in aerospace and who is weak in aerospace. I think one manifestation of strength is whether you have a complete system. In fact, we have a very complete system. space system, including measurement and control capabilities, global navigation and positioning capabilities, ground support capabilities, rocket capabilities, launch site capabilities, recovery site capabilities, and so on.
Our system is very complete and completely autonomous and controllable. Why is the space station one of the symbols of a space powerhouse? Because the space station does not fly by itself, but behind this station is that we have such a complete and powerful space system. Therefore, the space station can fly in the sky, and we as a country can independently make the space station fly in the sky, which means that you are really a space power.
The story of the space station
In September 1992, the central government decided to implement the manned spaceflight project, codenamed "Project 921", and determined the "three-step" development strategy.
Just the year before, Wang Xiang was admitted to the Department of Engineering Mechanics of Tsinghua University.
Since 1992, the first step of China's manned spaceflight project has been honed for ten years.
During this period, Wang Xiang directly studied for a doctoral degree after graduating from Tsinghua University, and in 2001 went to the Max Planck Institute for Metal Research in Germany for postdoctoral research.
In May 2003, he returned to Tsinghua University.
In October 2003, the Shenzhou-5 carried Yang Liwei into space, China's first manned spaceflight, and the "first step" of the manned spaceflight project made key progress.
Reporter:
How much did this matter affect you?
Wang Xiang:
The astronauts have all gone to the sky. I think at that time, it can be judged that it will not be a short-term one-off behavior. It will definitely be a spaceship or a space station. It is a big long-term development, and that I just realized that one person will go to heaven a while ago, and there is still a lot of room for development, so I think it is worthwhile to devote myself to such a place.
The Fifth Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology Group, which is more than ten kilometers away from Tsinghua University, is China's main research and development base for space technology and its products.
With the dream of spaceflight, Wang Xiang came here to submit a cover letter.
At the end of 2003, he entered the General Department of the Fifth Academy of Astronautics as he wished. At that time, China's manned space project was in the transition period between the first and second steps. The key task of the first step was to realize the safe return of astronauts.
The second step, which is about to start, is to break through and master the technology of out-of-vehicle activities and rendezvous.
The construction of a space station is a systematic project, subject to the overall level of scientific, technological and industrial development of a country.
In the early stage of the development of the rendezvous and docking technology, the hardware and software required for the research and development did not match the requirements.
In the early stage of research and development, the technical team needs to obtain various experimental data required for the rendezvous and docking technology through a large number of ground tests.
Wang Xiang:
Including installing this device on a car and two cars running each other, installing it on a plane, the two planes are separated by dozens of kilometers in tandem, flying until they are 400 to 500 meters apart, and then the whole measurement process is measured. , which is actually a physical verification of our entire measurement scheme.
Reporter:
Can this be called a "local method"?
Wang Xiang:
It is a kind of local method. I think it is one of the most interesting stages, that is, you are always thinking of ways to solve these problems.
We have a long-term and lofty goal, and we are moving towards this goal every day. In the process of walking, we have eliminated obstacles and overcome difficulties, and we have gained new knowledge and new knowledge. Growing up, I think this is a very interesting thing.
On November 1, 2011, the Shenzhou-8 spacecraft was launched, and after entering the predetermined orbit, it began to perform the task of rendezvous and docking with the already orbiting Tiangong-1. As the deputy chief designer, Wang Xiang and his team experienced a long Two days of torment.
Space rendezvous and docking is vividly called "threading needles in thousands of miles", which is a concentrated expression of a country's aerospace technology strength.
Two days later, Shenzhou-8 and Tiangong-1 finally ushered in an exciting docking moment.
Wang Xiang:
We hit it at the last moment. It was exactly the state we expected and wanted. In fact, many people were very excited at that time, but I think at that time, when it really flew to the end, it was reversed step by step. It finally made me more awake. It really went step by step according to our design expectations. You made me think back. I can say that all our efforts and previous work are meaningful and worthwhile. .
Generations relay from dream to reality
Since 2011, Wang Xiang has served as the chief commander of the space station system. He led the team to complete the comprehensive demonstration of the space station model project, the key engineering technology research, the whole system design and the development of each module.
On April 29, 2021, the Long March 5B Yao-2 carrier rocket successfully launched the Tianhe core module, which opened the curtain of the key technology verification and on-orbit construction of my country's space station.
China's manned spaceflight is advancing at an unprecedented speed, and the Chinese space station has gradually turned from a dream into a reality.
In fact, as early as the 1960s, scientists of the older generation such as Qian Xuesen had already started the demonstration of the overall plan of my country's first manned spacecraft "Dawn No. 1", and established 507 specialized scientific research institutions for manned spaceflight engineering. Because all aspects of scientific research could not be guaranteed at that time, the "Dawning No. 1" plan was stranded, but the research of Chinese astronauts has never stopped.
Wang Xiang:
I went to check the information, and found that there was a group of old gentlemen who did analysis of the rendezvous and docking orbits since the 1980s. The documents at that time were all handwritten.
Reporter:
How many years later did this encounter with them on the calculation paper touch you?
Wang Xiang:
It's very touching. Now that I have a computer, what do I have, but an old gentleman is still teaching me with his handwritten manuscript paper. I really have such a feeling, he may not think that he can Seeing this day, but he is also doing this in obscurity and very firmly.
After the Tianhe core module assembly test was completed, the Fifth Academy of Aerospace Engineering specially invited some seniors who participated in the manned space project in the early days to the scene.
Wang Xiang:
Many old gentlemen were very excited. At that time, they asked us to put some chairs in the hall, saying that you are busy with your work, we will sit here and watch, three or five people just chatted and watched, and stayed in the hall all the time. a long time.
A teacher said that he participated in the demonstration of 863 back then, and as a very good young aerospace worker, he also visited the United States along with some aerospace predecessors. It can be seen that the Liberty space station at that time was the predecessor of the current International Space Station. There are ground model ground products and some displays. He said that I was emotional at the time, when our space station will be built, I may not see it in my life, but I saw it here today, and I was very excited and moved. We This project is definitely not out of thin air. It is really based on the accumulation of these old gentlemen. We are going forward. They are real giants, and we are standing on their shoulders and moving forward.
Producer丨Liu Bin
Reporter丨Dong Qian