When the Shen-153 astronauts returned home, they also brought "gifts" from the space station to over 20 kilograms of experimental samples on Earth. These experimental samples are very valuable for researchers and will be further studied in the future

When the Shen-153 astronauts returned home, they also brought "gifts" from the space station to over 20 kilograms of experimental samples on Earth. These experimental samples are very valuable for researchers and will be further studied in the future.

Unexpectedly, among these experimental samples, there was also a type of worm called "nematode"!

When Shenzhou 15 was launched, three astronauts carried a small package of life science containing "nematodes" with them. After entering the space station, they put the nematodes in the small general cultivation experiment module of the life ecology experiment cabinet of the Wentian module and carried outExperiment on nematode cultivation.

Nematodes are one of the largest phyla in the animal kingdom, with over 28000 recorded species and a large number of unnamed species. What are we studying this ordinary insect that can no longer be ordinary?

It's very useful,Nematodes have a certain degree of homology with the human genome,But we cannot conduct space radiation experiments on humans. Nematodes are small, have strong vitality, and occupy not much space. They can just replace humans as experimental objects.

Remember our Wentian module, which are equipped with 8 experimental cabinets, each of which is a mini laboratory, including the life ecology experimental cabinet. After bringing the nematode to the space station, astronauts cultivate it in a life ecology experimental cabinet, and use the scientific equipment of the space station to perform optical detection and analysis on it.

During orbit, in orbit detection of nematode radiation damage markers is also conducted, providing important support for space radiation damage assessment, medical diagnosis, and protection.

After all, the scientific instruments of the Chinese space station are limited, and the astronauts of the space station are limited, and their daily work is very busy, so they can not conduct in-depth research on the nematode. So when the Shen15 returned, the nematode returned to the ground with the Shen15. Later, ground researchers will conduct in-depth analysis on the nematode, and the impact of long-term radiation exposure on DNA damage and repair, as well as Germ cell apoptosis, and so on.

Studying nematodes not only allows us to understand their impact in space environments, but also helps us to understand humans indirectly and prepare for future manned moon and fire landings. Because in the future, we will build an International Lunar Research Station, that is, a "town" on the moon, where astronauts can stay for a while; As for manned spaceflight, it takes even longer, and a mission can last for 1-2 years. We need to study in advance what kind of radiation and damage astronauts will experience if they stay in space for a long time.

In addition to the nematode, the Shenzhou 15 astronauts also carried cell, Arabidopsis, ratooning rice and other life experiment samples. The ratooning rice is to take the seeds from the earth to the space station, plant rice in the space station environment, complete the whole process of germination, heading, flowering, fruiting, planting and harvesting. This experiment was carried out in the time of Shenzhou 14, and also brought back the seeds. Shenzhou 15 continued the unfinished experiment of Shenzhou 14, After the rice harvest is completed, the rice seeds and samples from various stages of growth are brought back to Earth.

The downward load is not enough!

The so-called downward load refers to the load brought back to Earth from the space station! The upward load is the load that is launched from a space station into space.

We are very good at carrying up loads, not only sending humans into space, but also weighing up to 20 tons of core modules, question modules, and dream modules into space. It is very powerful, and there are very few countries in the world that can do this!

However, China is still weak in the downward load. At present, only the Reentry capsule of Shenzhou spacecraft can carry samples back to Earth from the space station, but the space of the Reentry capsule is narrow, and it is still the cabin of three astronauts. There is not much load left for experimental objects, which is about 50 kg. Obviously, this is not enough!

Think about it, we have already sent scientists into the Chinese space station. After scientists enter, they will go to the space station to conduct experiments. Some experimental results need to be brought back to the ground, space materials, etc., and some equipment needs to be brought to the ground for maintenance. If we cannot solve the problem of downlink loads, these will restrict the performance of the space station.

The good news is that we have a solution. China is developing a Next-generation crewed spacecraft. The Next-generation crewed spacecraft has both a lunar landing version and a space station version. It can transport seven astronauts to the space station at one time, and can also transport three astronauts+500 kg of cargo. In the future, the experimental results of the space station, equipment to be repaired, etc., can be returned to the ground through the Next-generation crewed spacecraft.

Moreover, the Next-generation crewed spacecraft is also reusable. After discarding the detachable thermal protection structure, a new one can be used again, which shortens the time for manufacturing the Reentry capsule of the spacecraft and greatly saves the cost of Human spaceflight.

By the way, some people may say that the Next-generation crewed spacecraft can carry seven astronauts at a time, but the space station has only six beds. Where can one person sleep?

In fact, the current space station is only under construction in the first phase, and after the expansion in the second phase, it will become a "dry" shape. The new cabin section also comes with beds, so no one needs to use bunks when going up!#Challenge 30 Days to Write a Diary on Headlines##

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