This is a journey of cosmic exploration full of unknowns and risks.
He is "Shenzhou 17", not only the first person of Shenzhou 16, but also Shenzhou.
Ten. Eight, ten.
The forerunner of the ninth and twentieth. His flight is for the future, in order to explore the universe farther away.
This severe test is whether China's astronauts can successfully complete it, and even the United States and Russia, which are leading the world in aviation, have suffered many failed missions.
They are a group of young people who have been given the title of "youngest astronaut crew", and the oldest of them is only 34 years old. In front of the vastness of the universe, they seem so small, like dust in the universe.
Yet, despite their small size, their dreams are immense. Their hearts are full of the righteousness of the family and country, the happiness of the people, and the universe. Tang Hongbo, born in 1975, is the oldest member of the space mission crew.
Likewise, as the oldest member, he is also the most experienced.
In 1995, Tang Hongbo's aerospace dream began by chance - the Air Force Autumn School Recruitment. After more than 4,000 days and nights of hard work, he boarded Shenzhou 20 in June 2021, and although Shenzhou 12 only stayed on the space station for three months, Tang Hongbo prepared for it for a full eleven years.
His tenacity and perseverance have made him a shining star in space exploration. ”
Fourteen years later, Tang Hongbo was once again attracted by the motherland's aerospace industry. As a flight captain, his heart has long been filled with the great rivers and mountains of the motherland, but he is still eager to explore the mysteries of the vast universe.
After hard work, he was finally accepted. That night, he looked at the starry sky, and his heart was full of mixed emotions, a longing for the unknown and anticipation for the future.
Over the next eleven years, he grew from a good pilot to a qualified astronaut through continuous hard work and training. However, in the process of achieving this great leap, he has never mentioned the hardships and difficulties he endured.
In his heart, he only has love and dedication to the aerospace industry.
After Tang Hongbo landed in space, he was deeply shocked by the cosmic scene, but despite this, he still missed the earth more than ever. However, after three months, he had to return to Earth and undergo a two-week medical quarantine, after which he needed a year-long recovery period.
Although quarantine can be boring, it is to protect the astronauts' immune system. Tang Hongbo became a member of the new crew after only two years, and let's look forward to their journey into space.
He used to be just a tank driver, but now he soars through the sky and becomes an eagle. Although he felt extremely lucky, he also knew that he had a great responsibility.
Tang Shengjie is the youngest member of the Shenzhou 17 crew, but his flying experience is not simple. Born in 1989, he has flown 6 types of aircraft, including fighter jets.
Gansu, where Shenzhou-17 was launched, is his hometown, he said.
Although the future of space is full of unknown surprises, in the process of developing the space station, we must bravely face an extremely dangerous mission.
Previous space missions typically consist of a crew of three people, including a space pilot, a space flight engineer, and a payload specialist. However, recently our space agency decided to complete the mission with only three astronauts.
This raises concerns. According to the latest information released by the space studio, China's space station has been hit and faces greater risks. This space junk comes in all sizes and shapes, and we have tried a variety of solutions to the presence of space debris.
In the face of large space junk, China's space station has developed a strategy that can be avoided in advance. However, the tiny but extremely fast space debris is still undetectable.
The velocity of these fragments is up to 79 kilometers per second, and a staggering number of 1300 million. This means that the space station is always at risk of being worn out repeatedly by space junk.
Such a situation would have serious consequences.
For the first time, our country sent astronauts on the most dangerous mission in history - space station maintenance. The ancients said: "The predecessors planted trees and the later people enjoyed the shade". The achievements of all countries in the world in the field of aerospace are inseparable from the dedication of heroes.
Although the maintenance mission was only an experimental operation, the danger should not be underestimated due to the unprecedented challenges.
They did not shrink back because of difficulties, but moved forward bravely. At 19:34 on October 26, 2023, the three astronauts successfully docked with China's space station and returned to our "home" in space under the welcome of the Shenzhou-16 space crew.
After that, the two groups of astronauts took a "family photo" together to show peace to the whole country. As soon as all the work was done, everyone immediately devoted themselves to the preparation of the follow-up work, despite the difficulties.
Tang Hongbo, as the commander, is under tremendous pressure. Every little thing in space can be a huge risk, so he must always be on his toes to make sure everything is safe.
What's more, two of his comrades were taken into space by him himself, so he had to make sure they returned to Earth safely. For the astronauts who carried out the Shenzhou-17 mission, the people of the whole country are praying and blessing for them.
The vastness, mystery and unknown nature of the universe has become a global consensus. The construction and maintenance of the space station is a task that not only benefits the people, but also has a potential threat.
On October 25, the day before the launch of Shenzhou 17, Russian cosmonauts accidentally found a long "white tail" dragging behind their spacecraft while carrying out extravehicular maintenance work.
After an urgent check, the Russian cosmonauts finally found the source of the problem. It turned out that it was a small 2 mm hole in the radiator pipe of the spacecraft, which caused the coolant to leak, thus forming this "white tail".
Although this is a minor problem, if not detected and fixed in time, it can have a significant impact on the operational safety of the ship. This event reminds us once again that the unknown and danger are everywhere in the universe, and we must always be vigilant and cautious.
The construction and maintenance of the space station also requires us to invest more manpower and material resources to ensure that every work can be foolproof and escort mankind's space exploration.
The appearance of this small hole is not accidental, as early as 2018 this small hole of 2 mm was discovered in Russia. Out of their usual habit of "simple violence", they directly plugged the small hole with glue and then left it alone.
Such negligent actions can bring great disaster to humanity. So, with the increase in the number of failures of Russian spacecraft, they announced that they would withdraw from the ISS in 2024.
However, like Russia, the United States, known as the "space bigwig", is not going to be better.
In the face of a series of problems caused by the aging and damage of the space station, the member states of the European Space Agency are under pressure, and the United States, as the "leader", is even more anxious. Despite its many advantages, the ISS has become increasingly limited in its capacity as it ages and deteriorates.
What's more, over time, the ISS is very likely to get out of control due to aging and deterioration. If this space station, which weighs more than 400 tons, wanders in space after losing control, no matter which planet it hits, the consequences will be unimaginable.
However, when the space station was built, the United States did not consider the first problem, and now it can only plan to build a spacecraft and tow the space station to the space cemetery in the South Pacific to solve the problem.
The cost of building such a spacecraft is as high as $1 billion, not including other ancillary facilities. Obviously, when it comes to costs, no country is willing to bear them, and the United States cannot afford to do so alone.
Therefore, how this issue will develop in the future is still worthy of our continued attention. However, it should be noted that this is not the first accident that the United States has suffered in the field of space.
In 1986, astronaut teacher Christa McAuliffe flew aboard the Challenger and lifted off in freezing weather on what should have been a safe morning.
However, a tragic accident occurred during the flight, which ultimately resulted in the death of all seven crew members, including McAuliffe.
The truth of the matter is far more complicated than we think. The low temperature that day was one reason, but more importantly, the engineers found that 2 redundant O-rings were used in the SRB fitting, which caused the SRB containment to fail.
This reminds us once again that no matter how powerful a country is, the importance of prudence cannot be overlooked. We pay our deepest respect to the heroes who died in the space accident.
They have made great contributions to the cause of human scientific research with their lives, and they deserve to be remembered forever. Flying a space mission is great, but being a space hero is not easy.
They come from different countries, but they are all heroes in our scientific career.
The astronauts of Shenzhou-17 are about to embark on a space journey, shouldering the new tasks of China's aerospace industry, and also harboring the dream of adding glory to the human aerospace industry.
Let's look forward to their successful return together!