The crew is preparing for the docking of China’s orbital station with the Gentian laboratory module. The astronauts will open its sluice gates and launch the life support system, after which they will assemble scientific equipment and conduct experiments.
There are also planned spacewalks from the laboratory. The crew has already prepared and tested spacesuits for this work. China will launch the Gentian module from the Wenchang space center in July. And in October, it will be joined by the second space laboratory, Mention.
They will deliver almost all the necessary equipment for scientific experiments to the orbital station. Now the main module of the Chinese space station is connected to the Shenzhou-14 manned spacecraft and two cargo ships, one of which will be replaced by the Gentian laboratory.
The rendezvous and docking with the new module will be controlled by an automatic system, but if necessary, the crew is ready to perform this maneuver manually. Taikonauts Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xizhi, who piloted the Zhengzhou 14 spacecraft, have already spent more than a month in orbit and have completed many important tasks, including transferring and stacking materials, installing and debugging equipment. In particular, the crew completed the assembly and testing of the carbon dioxide recirculation system.
“The Shenzhou-14 crew is quite young, but it includes experienced cosmonauts. They perform their daily tasks with high quality and are in good physical and moral condition. It is expected that its crew will work in orbit for six months with the support of the mission control center.
Chinese navy conducts exercises on the high seas
The Chinese submarine forces conducted offensive-defensive exercises on the high seas together with a subdivision of the surface naval forces. The military personnel practiced new methods of tactical training, which require precise coordination of the actions of the crew and the integration of various elements of combat.
Wang Dai, Commander of the Submarine Force of the PLA Navy:
“On a submarine, to control a weapon, coordinated actions of hundreds of people are needed, each of which makes a decisive contribution to the common cause. As a commander, I must get the most out of every member of the crew in order to achieve better results and significantly increase our combat capability.
Earlier, the Chinese submarine fleet made a large-scale mission, during which it set four records, including the distance of navigation. In recent years, the helmsmen have increased the accuracy of the submarine dive maneuver from the meter to the decimeter level, as well as the accuracy of determining the trim angle of the submarine by 10 times.
China Media Corporation reports that at present, the crews of the new type of submarines of the Chinese Navy have fully developed their combat capabilities and will continue to hone the skills necessary to win battles in distant seas.
In China, they installed an underwater “Christmas tree” of their own design
The China National Offshore Petroleum Corporation installed and officially commissioned China’s first all-China underwater Christmas tree. This name is given to a set of valves, casing coils and fittings integrated into a single system, since it has an external resemblance to a New Year’s tree. The “Christmas tree” is used to regulate the flow in pipes in oil, gas and other types of wells.
The installation of the new subsea system was a breakthrough for China in the development and exploitation of deep water oil and gas fields. Previously, the Celestial Empire relied exclusively on imports in this matter.
Yang Yangchuan, Technical Project Manager:
“After installing the Christmas tree, we drilled and fully operated natural gas wells. All performance indicators are at the level of similar foreign products.”
“Compared to imported products, the cost of the new plant is about 27 percent lower, and it is expected that its cost of production will further decrease with an increase in the number of orders. This equipment can contribute to the efficient development of some unprofitable oil and gas fields, which has a positive effect on the development of related industries.”
The Chinese research vessel “Tansuo-2” returned from a mission during which sea tests of a deep-sea scientific and experimental station were carried out. The flight was organized by the Institute of Deep Sea Science and Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The main goal of the expedition is to test the new equipment “in situ”, that is, in the place where it should be used.
“We tested various functions of the deep sea station, testing the basic system control, power control, data transmission and several communication modes. We did integration testing with the lab. After installing new equipment on the seabed, manned submersibles connected the laboratory to a base station that provides electricity and communications. The whole system worked steadily for seven days at a depth of 1400 meters.”
