"Aerospace" steps out of the road of independent innovation

On July 4th 14: 57, after about 7 hours of extravehicular activity, Shenzhou XII astronauts cooperated closely and successfully completed all scheduled tasks during the extravehicular activity. Astronauts Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo safely returned to the Tianhe core module, marking the first successful extravehicular activity of astronauts in China Space Station.

The people of China have been waiting for this moment for 13 years. This is the second extravehicular activity of China astronauts after the manned mission of Shenzhou VII in 2008, and it is also the first extravehicular activity of China astronauts in the space station stage. "Shenzhou XII" astronauts "walked out" of the spacecraft and carried out activities in the vast space. The successful completion of the extravehicular task is the strong support of key and core technologies, the epitome of China astronauts' independent innovation, and the model of China's scientific and technological self-reliance.

Manned spaceflight project is the most technically complicated key project in China's space history, and it is also a systematic project step by step. In 2008, Shenzhou VII astronaut Zhai Zhigang printed the footprints of China people into the vast and deep starry sky for the first time, which was an important step in China's space exploration. On 20021June 17, the Shenzhou-12 manned spacecraft was successfully launched at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, and three astronauts entered the Tianhe core cabin. China people entered their own space station for the first time, fulfilling the dreams of several generations of astronauts and China people for thousands of years. This is the first extravehicular activity in the space station era. With the strong combination of heaven and earth and close cooperation inside and outside the space station, the tasks related to extravehicular activities, such as equipment assembly and panorama camera lifting, have been successfully completed, and the functional performance of the new generation of extravehicular activities in China has been tested for the first time, and the cooperative working ability of astronauts and robotic arms and the reliability and safety of supporting equipment related to extravehicular activities have been tested for the first time, laying an important foundation for the smooth implementation of subsequent extravehicular activities in the space station. From the "toddler" of Shenzhou VII to the astronaut's first successful exit from the space station, the astronaut's space life has achieved a leap from "sleeping standing up" to "eating full" to "eating well", which fully embodies the strong support of China's space science and technology progress.

The extravehicular spacesuit used to perform extravehicular tasks has also become a highlight. The space environment is very bad, with not only a suffocating vacuum, but also a huge temperature difference. There is no protection such as ozone layer in space, and all kinds of harmful radiation "drive straight into". Therefore, the extravehicular spacesuit needs to resist the harsh environment and provide vital protection for astronauts. Moreover, because the vacuum itself can't conduct heat convection and the sealed spacesuit can't breathe, the temperature control of spacesuit is also the key. A new generation of "Tian Fei" extravehicular spacesuit independently developed by China has realized oxygen supply, temperature control and pressure control, and has the characteristics of longer service time, higher safety and reliability, better maneuverability and better test maintenance, which lightens the burden of astronauts' extravehicular activities and makes them wider and more flexible.

One small step in space, one giant leap for China. This "spacewalk" is a small step and a further symbol of China's space industry. China's manned space exploration is endless, the independent innovation of space science and technology is endless, and the journey towards the sea of stars is endless. In the future, we will certainly witness more feats of space exploration, and let us look forward to the bright future of China's space industry with confidence! (Xiang Qiu)