The latest news, the world's top Bigu practitioners gathered at Green Airlines Interstellar, and the recruitment of volunteers for the 2024 Green Aviation Interstellar 15-day Low Metabolic Fasting Experiment is underway, so take action!
In March, yes this year, the 2024 Shenzhen Academy of Space Science and Technology will recruit 24 Bigu volunteers, 12 men and 12 women, who are required to have Bigu experience and be between the ages of 18 and 55. It is required to stay in the institute for 28 days, the first three days to check the body to adapt to the environment, the 4th day to start the clear water and Bigu for 15 days, and the 16th day to start the last ten days of the resumption of diet, a total of 28 days.
A classic review of Green Voyage's interstellar hypometabolic fasting experiments.
Embark on a new era of interstellar survival.
"Green Aviation Interstellar" 4 people 180 days controlled test sidenote.
Reporter Zou Weirong Correspondent Zhu Xiaoxiong.
Looking at the mysterious interstellar space, there is also ** can become the home of mankind? People's casual reverie is exactly what space scientists are constantly working towards. Led by the China Astronaut Training Center and the Shenzhen Southern Research Institute of Space Science and Technology, and jointly participated by 16 domestic and foreign units, including the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the French National Center for Space Research, and the German Space Center, the 180-day test of "Green Aviation Interstellar" officially began uninterrupted closed testing on June 17. Build a "home in space" for human beings and accumulate rich test data.
Explore deep space to survive and shorten the distance to the universe.
What is a "4-person 180-day trial"? In a closed circulating cabin, 4 volunteers, 180 days of testing time, all the oxygen, water, some food and other materials and environmental conditions needed to survive are self-sufficient in the cabin. This complex test system has a general name: "Manned Spacecraft Environmental Control and Life Support Technology".
From the day humans left the earth to fly into space, they have never left the environmental control and life support technology of manned spacecraft. However, as human beings move deeper and deeper into space exploration, the technology itself is constantly upgrading and changing.
The first generation of environmental control and health protection technology: for short-term flights. All life support materials, oxygen, water and food, need to be brought up from the ground, and waste is not recycled, such as the Shenzhou spacecraft, which has completed the manned space mission, applies the first generation of technology.
The second generation of environmental control and health protection technology: for medium and long-term flight. The atmosphere and water realize the regeneration cycle in the space capsule, and the food still needs to be replenished, which is currently used in space station missions; China's aerospace science and technology departments already have this technical capability.
The third generation of environmental control and health protection technology: suitable for future manned space missions where humans explore extraterrestrial bodies and reside on the surface of aliens. By establishing a closed and controlled ecological environment, it provides human beings with the atmospheric environment and life-supporting materials needed for survival. This is like the home of human beings on the extraterrestrial, the cultivation of animals and plants, the efficient recycling and regeneration of the atmosphere and water, and the basic problems we face in survival must be solved here, and the material supply of manned space missions will be reduced to the greatest extent, and this is the technology that we want to study and verify in today's 180-day experiment of four people.
Every small step of exploration in space technology shortens the distance between us and the vast universe. Li Yinghui, the person in charge of the test and the deputy chief designer of the astronaut center, told reporters: "If you want to open up a new home, the first problem that needs to be solved is how to survive, where to live, what to breathe, what to eat, and then to ensure the health of the personnel." Our experiment was designed with such an exploratory goal in mind. ”
The exploration of survival in deep space is the current frontier strategy of the international space powers. The United States, Russia, and the European Union are all in the exploratory stage. The content and direction of research in each country also have their own emphasis. For example, the well-known "Mars 500" project from 2010 to 2011 was an international experiment organized by Russia and participated by many countries, in which six volunteers lived in a simulation test module for 520 days, which simulated the whole process from the launch of the spacecraft, flying to Mars, landing on Mars to returning to Earth. The experiment studied the physiological and psychological state of people in a long-term confined space, as well as their ability to work.
Different from the "Mars 500", the "Space 180" experiment will not only study the physiological and psychological reactions of people, but also achieve self-sufficiency in oxygen, water and food in the test module. As a large-scale experiment involving 16 domestic and foreign institutions, more than 20 complex test projects related to space exploration will be validated within this system.
Deciphering the "Space 180" test chamber circulation system.
As a large-scale experiment for human beings to challenge their survival in deep space, the biggest difficulty of the "Space 180" project is to realize the self-circulation between plants, water and air related to human survival in a closed circulation cabin. The whole experiment should realize the material and energy conversion adapted to the human living environment with the minimum material and energy cost.
On June 17, the reporter rushed to the site of the "180 test" in Shenzhen, and saw the cabin of the "180 test" as soon as he entered the door. The entire enclosed ecological circulation cabin is composed of 8 cabins. It includes 2 crew cabins, 4 biological cabins, as well as 1 resource cabin and 1 life protection cabin. The whole system consists of three major components, including environmental control, recycling, and measurement and control management. The area of the 8 cabins is 370 square meters, which can meet the needs of more than 1 year of controlled ecological experiments for multiple people.
Human survival is inseparable from food, and 4 of the 8 experimental cabins are planted with various plants. How important are plants as a central element in the whole cycle of experimentation?
Circulation of gases in the space 180" airtight test chamber. Through photosynthesis, plants absorb carbon dioxide produced by humans and release oxygen for human breathing. The saturation of oxygen in the cabin must reach a standard value to meet the basic needs of people. Due to the different growth cycles of plants, the oxygen supply of plants is also different, when oxygen is insufficient, the electrolytic oxygen generator can split water into oxygen to adjust the oxygen content in the cabin to achieve optimum. Excess carbon dioxide that cannot be absorbed by the plants and harmful gases in the chamber are removed by a removal device. In the 180-day test, the experimental goal of 100% of the gas cycle closure was achieved.
Water circulation in the space 180" enclosed test chamber. In addition to the water stored in advance before the start of the experiment, most of the volunteers' drinking water came from condensate from plant transpiration for 180 days. Wastewater and urine generated by humans are purified through the wastewater treatment system and supplied to plants. In this test, the water circulation closure should be greater than 90%.
Solid waste recycling in the space 180" closed test chamber. The edible parts of plants provide nutrients for humans and are consumed by humans. The inedible part of the plant and the manure produced by humans enter the solid waste ecological treatment system. After treatment, it is supplied to plants as organic fertilizer. In the whole test, the closure degree of solid waste cycle should be greater than 60%.
Visit the mysterious "Interstellar Home".
What are the special mechanisms inside the complex and airtight ecological circulation chamber? What is the living and working environment of the 4 volunteers inside?
Before this space was sealed, we visited this mysterious alien home.
Before entering the cabin, you must go through two air shower doors to blow away the dust and microorganisms brought in from the outside environment. After walking through the air shower door, we changed into anti-static slippers, and we walked into the first cabin——— resource cabin. This includes the treatment of wastewater and waste. In addition to the various recycling devices, there is also a mysterious space hidden here, which is the toilet for the occupants. This design is conducive to the direct utilization of waste.
After visiting the resource cabin, we continued to move forward, and walked into the life protection cabin. Devices related to the support of people's lives are placed here. Domestic water supply systems, electrolytic oxygen production devices, carbon dioxide removal devices, etc. are displayed one by one. Here we also find a grain processing machine. In the future, the crew will be able to process the harvested wheat into flour here.
In one corner of the room, we opened the sliding door and saw a staircase spiraling upwards, and up the stairs we reached the occupant's rest area. The journalist found a sense of home here. Microwave ovens, induction cookers, woks, soybean milk machines, and steaming drawers are all available. According to the researchers, 70% of the food is produced by itself in the cabin. From raw materials to mature food, the crew needs to do it themselves.
Unfortunately, french fries like in the movie "The Martian" could not be placed in front of the tables of several crew members. Due to the special needs of the closed cabin, most of the food here relies on steaming, such as our daily frying and frying is absolutely not allowed. Not only that, but the water consumption is also specially designed to better conserve resources.
The lounge for three male occupants is lined up on one side. The largest room is less than 4 square meters, and the smallest is just over 2 square meters. The space is fully utilized here, and with a single pull, these hidden mechanisms can be transformed into a comfortable single bed.
After that, we went to the highest point of the capsule, which was the third floor. There is a physical training area, a medical supervision and medical insurance area, and a dormitory for a female volunteer.
After visiting the living rest area of the crew, we went downstairs to the largest area in the cabin——— the plant cabin. Because it is a closed cabin, plants cannot obtain sunlight from the outside world, and can only provide raw materials for photosynthesis through artificial light sources. These lights are scientifically designed to meet the requirements for optimal plant growth.
Plants are divided into two kinds of hydroponics and substrate cultivation, we can see that there are wheat and other food crops, lettuce, lettuce, chives and other daily vegetables, as well as strawberries, small tomatoes, etc., a total of 25 kinds of plants, staple food, oil crops, vegetables, fruits are very rich. In the bulkhead of the plant cabin, we also found a lot of dense small holes, which play an interactive role in promoting air circulation.
Meet the "space" volunteers.
The first four volunteers to enter the capsule are not only the staff of the astronaut center in China, but also professionals recruited by the society, and the roles of the four people are also divided.
Volunteer Tang Yongkang, who is the commander of the mission, is also a researcher at the astronaut training center and has been working with space plant cultivation for more than a decade. Tang Yongkang said: "As a volunteer, I participated in this project, and I was able to personally experience the difficulties encountered in the process of work, which may be a more direct gain for the subsequent development of this technology as a scientific researcher." ”
For Tong Feizhou, who is an astronaut training instructor, the opportunity to experience life in a confined environment is also very rare. Volunteer Tong Feizhou said: "I was able to experience the process of this experiment first-hand, so that when I communicate and communicate with the astronauts in my future work, I will be more harmonious and understand their real feelings." ”
As the only female volunteer, Tong Feizhou had to undertake a large number of medical tests throughout the mission. In addition, it is also her duty to guide several other volunteers in physical exercise and life care. Tong Feizhou said that she may play a role as a lubricant in the process, giving them a psychological support. Because women may be more delicate and can feel some of their emotional and psychological changes.
Compared with the two volunteers from the professional field, Roger and Wu Shiyun are in close contact with aerospace for the first time. Roger is a young researcher at Shenzhen Agricultural Science Group, who is mainly responsible for the daily planting and maintenance of plants in the cabin. His yearning for aerospace work made him excitedly accept this challenge. Volunteer Roger said: "This project is open to the public, the opportunity is very rare, I signed up without hesitation, just to do my little bit for the motherland's aerospace industry." ”
Among the four people, Wu Shiyun has the least work experience. He just graduated with a master's degree last year. Being able to volunteer in this vast trial system was both an opportunity and a challenge for him. Wu Shiyun said: "The main reason is that my major is mechanical engineering, so my job positioning is also the operation, maintenance and management of mechanical and electrical equipment in the cabin. ”
According to the reporter's understanding, since the recruitment of volunteers in May last year, a total of 8 volunteers have been selected through four rounds of strict selection of qualification review, clinical medicine, psychological and neurological assessment, and psychological talks, and have stood out from the 2,110 people who signed up and became the first batch of "astronauts" to participate in the experiment.
In order to ensure the strict and accurate test data of the "Space 180" project, they were divided into two groups of main volunteers and backup volunteers according to the combination of three men and one woman. The remaining 4 backup volunteers may not be given the opportunity to perform their tasks, but they are required to complete all the tests, assessments, and preparations as rigorously.
Author |Zou Weirong Zhu Xiaoxiong.
Source |China National Defense News.
Producer |Zou Weirong.
Editor-in-Charge |Han Fuye.
Editor |Liu Guohui.