Following a suspected debris strike on Shenzhou XXs viewport, the three astronauts originally scheduled to return to Earth aboard the spacecraft were redirected to Shenzhou XXI, which brought them home safely on Nov 14.
China launched the Shenzhou XXII on Nov 25 to provide a new return vehicle for the orbiting crew, completing the first emergency launch in the history of its manned space program.
During a subsequent spacewalk, the Shenzhou XXI crew, who are now undertaking a six-month orbital stay, may be tasked with inspecting the cracked viewport. They may also perform protective work on it using specialized devices delivered by the Shenzhou XXII launch, a procedure still being validated in ground tests, said Ji in a recent CCTV interview.
A day prior to their planned return on Nov 5, the Shenzhou XX crew spotted an anomaly on the viewports edge, described as a triangular, paint-like mark. They photographed it from multiple angles and under different lights, while the stations robotic arm cameras were employed to take supplemental external pictures.
The flaw was later identified as penetrating cracks, said Jia Shijin, chief designer of the crewed spaceship system from the China Academy of Space Technology. The space debris responsible is preliminarily judged to be less than a millimeter in size but traveling at very high speed.
After this initial investigation, ground teams conducted simulations and tests and commissioned two research institutions to perform wind tunnel tests for independent verification, Jia explained.
In a worst-case scenario, the cracks could spread, causing the outer pane to detach, which could then lead to failure of the inner pressure-sealing glass, cabin depressurization, and the ingress of high-speed gases, Jia said.
Guided by the principle of astronaut safety first, China opted for the alternative return and emergency launch procedures.
Ji said that Shenzhou XXs unmanned return mission will generate meaningful real-world experimental data for subsequent missions.
Four mice traveled to space aboard the Shenzhou XXI spaceship. They were initially scheduled for a five-to-seven-day experiment in orbit but instead stayed for about two weeks before returning with the Shenzhou XX crew, according to Wu Dawei from the China Astronaut Research and Training Center. All mice returned in healthy condition, Wu said.
Related Links
China Manned Space Engineering Office
Space Technology News - Applications and Research
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