How has China's Shenzhou 14 crew set up their new home in space?
19 June 2022
Setting up a living environment is the first task for the SZ-14 crew when they arrived on 5 June at the space station, which had been left in an uninhabited state after the departure of the Shenzhou 13 crew in April.
The priority of the SZ-14 crew is to activate the essential systems for human living, such as oxygen recycling, drinking water and the sleeping environment, according to Wang Saijin, Deputy Chief designer of the Beijing Aerospace Control Centre. The taikonauts have checked the functionality of the "appliances" in the kitchen, such as the microwave oven, water heater and garbage disposal equipment.
MORE...
RELATED
Watch the Shenzhou-14 crew's first week at China's space station
RELATED
How water is supplied at China's Space Station
CAST developed new coating for spacecraft thermal control
20 June 2022
Chinese scientists at the CAST have developed a metallic-based thermal-control coating for the SZ-14 crewed spaceship that can protect the taikonauts from extreme heat and cold during their stay in orbit. The new coating works in two ways: providing low solar absorption to help reduce the sun's effect on the spacecraft's internal temperature and providing low infrared emittance to block heat release from internal sources. The thermal-control coating was first used on the SZ-13 spacecraft, which was launched on 16 October 2021. It kept the cabin environment within acceptable temperature ranges (between 18 and 26oC)
MORE...
Sharing global meteorological data
21 June 2022
At the 75th session of the Executive Council of World Meteorological Organization on 20 June, the head of the China Meteorological Administration, Zhuang Guotai announced that the data produced by the country's two Fengyun series meteorological satellites will be shared with global users.
Fengyun 3E and Fengyun 4B are used to help monitor and forecast weather, as well as prevent and mitigate disasters. FY-4B, launched in June 2021, has a resolution of 250 m. FY-3E, the world's first civilian early morning orbit weather satellite, launched in July 2021, was designed to improve global weather forecasting by filling in the gap in data at specific times of the day. It has a global revisiting time of 6 hours.
MORE...
Liu Yang got emotional ... and very poetic in a letter to her children
21 June 2022
Liu Yang has touched the hearts of millions with a letter to her two children that was made public after she set off into space for the second time on 5 June. "You're my strongest armor and softest spots. I didn't allow you to see me off at the launch site because I was afraid that I would burst into tears," Liu wrote in the letter to her daughter, 8, and son, 6. "I promise you that I will build a big house in space and fill it with the dreams of many. I also promise you I will take many beautiful pictures so you can share them with others. I will also take your wishes to space. You have my word," she said in the letter.
MORE...