This star is going to the moon

Chapter 482 The "Immortal Chariot" Space Shuttle, Goodbye Shenzhou and Tianzhou
Tiangong Space Station.

After the air pressure of the new space shuttle was balanced with that of the space station, the three astronauts floated in through the 1.2-meter diameter hatch at the space dock.

"Is this the space shuttle that our space agency customized with Director Lu? It's so spacious!"

"The interior design is simpler than the commercial version... It's very minimalist and definitely looks like the style of our space agency."

"Yes, these simplified seats look somewhat like the seats on the Shenzhou spacecraft. I'll try them out..."

"Why are you two acting like children? Hurry up and move the things; it needs to do a quick return test later."

At this moment, a familiar voice from the ground command center spoke up: "Haha, those two are definitely kids to you, a veteran born in 1975. Ah Jie is roughly equivalent to a post-90s generation, and there are even some genuine post-90s in the third batch. There's a generational gap."

"It's alright, no rush. This test has a lot of time allowed; just finish it within the allotted time..."

Because it wasn't a live stream, communication between the two parties was much easier, unlike the rigid and formal atmosphere of a live stream.

This kind of routine communication can reduce the mental stress of astronauts and is very useful.

It would be even better if there were astronauts from Northeast China on the team. After half a year, everyone thought, "I don't think I have an accent."

In the afternoon, the new space shuttle returned to Earth carrying experimental samples. When it appeared over the Dongfeng Space Airport, eager reporters had already raised their cameras and started snapping pictures.

The new space shuttle operates in unmanned mode, automatically aligning itself with the runway before landing precisely.

With the braking system and deceleration parachute working together, the new space shuttle came to a smooth stop.

Lu Yun is here too.

This is, after all, the first space shuttle sold by Bluestar Aerospace, and it's from the National Space Administration, so Lu Yun definitely has to attend the delivery ceremony.

After the sniffing team checked the space shuttle and found no toxic gas leaks, Lu Yun followed the expert team to the runway.

Right in front of the space shuttle, Lu Yun handed a symbolic large key to the director of the space agency.

Then the director invited him to unveil a copper plate covered by a red cloth, on which was the name of the new space shuttle.

"The Celestial Raft!"

The director of the space agency said to the camera: "The Fairy Raft is a bamboo raft in mythology that can travel between the sea and the Milky Way. It can be said to be of the same lineage as Shenzhou and Tianzhou."

"It comes from the 'Record of Diverse Things' by Zhang Hua, a naturalist of the Western Jin Dynasty, and is also recorded in the 'Extensive Records of the Taiping Era' compiled during the Northern Song Dynasty..."

After holding an important ceremony and making a few brief remarks on the runway, the expert team returned to the terminal building, which is where the press conference was held.

After all, the Dongfeng Space Airport is located in the Gobi Desert, and this open-air location is not a good place to hold a press conference.

Once inside, it was mainly the director of the space agency and people from the manned space program office who spoke, and they brought up the issue of retiring the Shenzhou manned spacecraft and the Tianzhou cargo spacecraft again.

Upon hearing this, an elderly academician who had participated in the spacecraft project and was sitting next to Lu Yun began to reminisce about history.

"Actually, we started planning for manned spaceflight in 1958. I was only twenty years old then, younger than you."

"In 1961, Gagarin entered space for the first time, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences held a symposium on interstellar travel to discuss the issue of manned spaceflight again."

"However, our technology level at the time was indeed too low. Although we planned the 'Dawn' spacecraft with a two-module structure that could carry two people, we eventually abandoned it."

"In 1986, our country launched the '863 Program,' in which aerospace technology was the second of seven major fields, including large launch vehicles and space transportation systems, manned space station systems and their applications." "At that time, many configurations were discussed domestically, and even a two-stage-to-orbit fully recoverable spaceplane scheme was discussed. However, in the end, we still followed the development and upgrade of the Russian third-generation manned spacecraft 'Soyuz'..."

"Actually, Shenzhou wasn't considered advanced back then; it was rather conservative. Now it's even older and should indeed be retired..."

That’s true.

The Shenzhou spacecraft system consists of an orbital module, a return module, and a propulsion module.

Its overall length can reach 8 meters, and its total mass is about 7.7 tons.

The Soyuz spacecraft is indeed smaller, with an overall length of just over 7 meters and a total mass of only 6 tons.

In addition, the Shenzhou spacecraft's return capsule has a diameter of 2.5 meters, making the space somewhat cramped when three astronauts sit inside.

The Soyuz spacecraft's return capsule is only 2.2 meters in diameter, making it very crowded for three astronauts to sit inside.

The Shenzhou spacecraft's return capsule, also known as the "cabin," is the astronaut's "cockpit" and the section where astronauts travel to and from space. It has a bell-shaped, sealed structure.

However, the spacecraft's bell shape has an opening at the top and is sealed at the bottom, requiring a heat-insulating base.

The opening at the top is the hatch that connects to the orbital module.

The Shenzhou spacecraft's orbital module is a cylinder with hatches on both sides. One end connects to the return capsule, and the other end connects to the space docking mechanism.

Its original hatches had a maximum diameter of only 65 centimeters, and only agile and specially trained people could enter and exit freely.

Both Tiangong-1 and Tiangong-2 have hatches of this size.

It was later changed to a diameter of 80 centimeters, specifically for docking with the Tiangong space station.

The orbital module is called a "multi-functional hall" because astronauts spend all their time in the orbital module except when they enter the return capsule for launch and return. Therefore, the orbital module integrates many functions such as working, eating, sleeping and cleaning.

After the astronauts return in the return capsule, the orbital module will function as an Earth observation satellite or a space laboratory, and will continue to operate in orbit for about six months.

The use of orbital modules in orbit is a major feature of the Chinese and American spacecraft. In contrast, the orbital modules and return capsules of the Xiongda and American spacecraft are generally discarded after separation.

This shows how stingy... ugh, how frugal the elderly and Chinese are!
As for the propulsion module, it goes without saying that it is the power system of the Shenzhou spacecraft.

The engine is at the back, the propellant is inside, and the solar panels are on both sides.

It has been 22 years since the Shenzhou spacecraft's maiden flight. It is indeed a very outdated spacecraft and is no longer suitable for China's current and future space missions.

Of course, Xiong Da's Soyuz spacecraft is still "very old and strong". The first Soyuz spacecraft was launched in the 1960s or 1970s, and it has been 54 years since then!

Xiong Da is also working on a new generation of "Federation" spacecraft, which is on par with China's new generation of spacecraft and the United States' Orion spacecraft, all of which have the capability for deep space manned voyages.

However, Xiong Da's financial situation... well, we won't see any significant changes for the next few years.

Regarding retirement, Lu Yun felt that it would be fine to replace the Shenzhou spacecraft with the "Xiancha" space shuttle instead of launching Shenzhou-18.

However, it would be quite difficult to replace the Tianzhou cargo spacecraft.

Because the Tianzhou spacecraft can fly in space... with its canopy open.

(End of this chapter)