Picture credit score: CCTV/CNSA/Inside Outer House screengrab
China’s now-orbiting Shenzhou-19 astronauts are shifting provides and tools into the Tiangong house station, delivered to the orbiting facility by the newly docked Tianzhou-8 cargo craft.
Weighing about six tons, China’s Tianzhou-8 cargo craft consists of provides for the astronauts, propellant, utility experiments and take a look at tools, with over 880 kilos (400 kilograms) of scientific gear.
Roughly three hours after the launch, the Tianzhou-8 cargo craft autonomously docked on the rear docking port of the house station’s core module Tianhe.
Handover of station between Shezhou-18 and Shenzhou-19 crew.
Picture credit score: CCTV/CMSA/Inside Outer House screengrab
Bigger cargo capability
China launched the Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship on October 30, sending a contemporary crew of three astronauts — Cai Xuzhe, Music Lingdong and Wang Haoze — to its house station for one more six-month mission.
Picture credit score: CCTV/CNSA/Inside Outer House screengrab
The newly arrived cargo craft, in comparison with its predecessors — Tianzhou-6 and Tianzhou-7 — boasts a bigger cargo capability — a rise of greater than 200 liters of house and greater than 100 kilograms of cargo load.
Friday’s launch is the third cargo supply mission since China’s crewed house program entered the house station’s utility and improvement stage.
Lunar brick specialist, Zhou Cheng.
Picture credit score: CCTV/Inside Outer House screengrab
Lunar bricks
In keeping with China Central Tv (CCTV), for the primary time, a brick manufactured from artificial lunar soil can be introduced aboard the house station and topic to an publicity experiment to check whether or not it may very well be used to assemble buildings on the Moon.
It’s anticipated that the lunar soil brick can be returned to Earth by the tip of subsequent 12 months, following the experiment.
Picture credit score: CCTV/Inside Outer House screengrab
“What we’re most involved with are: first, its mechanical properties, as they’re most carefully associated to constructing constructions; second, its thermal properties, significantly how effectively it performs when it comes to insulation and warmth resistance; third, the impression of radiation on it,” mentioned Zhou Cheng, professor, Nationwide Middle of Know-how Innovation for Digital Building, Huazhong College of Science and Know-how. “We need to know if these lunar bricks can stand up to the publicity to cosmic radiation,” Zhou instructed CCTV.
Go to video detailing the provision ship docking at:
