Flying in the sky and dreaming ｜ Deciphering the dream experimental cabin

(video production: the main station is dreaming of the media creative studio)

Following the arrival of Tianhe core module and candlestick experimental module in space, Mengtian experimental module will finally fly to the universe to meet them. As the first large-scale module in the Eighth Institute of Aerospace Science and Technology Group, Mengtian experimental module has many ingenious ideas and exquisite designs. Next, we will decrypt the Mengtian experimental module through video.

Mengtian experimental cabin consists of four sections: working cabin, cargo airlock cabin, load cabin and resource cabin. The cabin is 17.88 meters long, 4.2 meters in diameter and has a launch mass of about 23 tons.

Hardest core: supporting stronger scientific experiments in space station

The division of tasks and positioning of Mengtian experimental module are different from those of Tianhe core module and candlestick experimental module, and there are similarities and differences in configuration between them, each with its own characteristics.

In terms of support for people,Mengtian experimental module is located where astronauts work, so it is not equipped with regenerative life support, sleeping area and health area similar to "Tianhe" and "Zhentian" modules. However, all three cabins are equipped with astronauts’ exercise equipment, and the dream cabin is equipped with resistance exercise equipment, similar to the rowing machine in the gym.

From the overall configuration,Mengtian experimental cabin has a rounder belly, which consists of four cabins and adopts a unique "doll" design.Working cabinAt the front end, it is connected with the core cabin through docking mechanism, which is mainly the place where astronauts work and exercise in the cabin, and also the place where the scientific experiment cabinet in the cabin is installed.Load cabinandCargo airlockIt is connected with the working cabin in the form of "double-cabin nesting", that is to say, there is a cargo airlock hidden inside the load cabin, which is the main channel for goods to leave the cabin. At the forefront isResource cabinIt is also the place where the solar orientation device and the flexible solar wing are installed.

In terms of supporting application tasks,As a "studio", Mengtian experimental cabin has the strongest load supporting capacity among the three cabins. It is equipped with 13 standard load cabinets, mainly for microgravity scientific research, and can support cutting-edge experimental projects such as fluid physics, material science and ultra-cold atomic physics. It can be called Tiangong "DreamWorks". At the same time, in order to maximize the support capacity of extravehicular experiments, 37 load installation stations are arranged outside the Mengtian module, which can provide mechanical, electrical and information support for various scientific experimental loads and ensure them to carry out various experiments in the space environment. In particular, the load cabin is equipped with two pieces that can be deployed in orbit.Exposed load experimental platform, further enhancing the load support capacity of the space station.

The most intelligent: goods automatically enter and leave the cabin, creating a "space cargo port"

If the airlock cabin of the candlestick experimental module is compared to the "international airport", then the cargo airlock cabin of Mengtian is the "international cargo port" of the space station. In the past, to carry out scientific experiments outside the cabin, astronauts were required to leave the cabin for installation, but this method would be limited by the number of astronauts leaving the cabin, the number and size of loads. Therefore, the unique automatic loading and unloading function of Mengtian experimental module will further improve the ability and efficiency of the space station to carry out extravehicular load experiments. In the Mengtian experimental cabin, a load transfer mechanism is equipped, which can stably carry out the task of sending goods from the cabin to the outside or transporting goods from the outside to the cabin. It is understood that the transport capacity of the load transfer mechanism can reach 400 kg, and the cargo envelope of a single transport can reach 1.15m× 1.2m× 0.9m.. Compared with the way of "taking cargo out of the cabin", the ability of cargo out of the cabin has been further improved, and it has also "reduced the burden" for astronauts working and living in orbit, so that they can spend more time and energy on carrying out various scientific experiments in the cabin.

At the same time, in order to meet the needs of cargo with larger size and heavier weight in the future, a unique square door with a width of 1.2 meters was installed on the cargo airlock of Mengtian Experimental Module. The hatch adopts fully automatic arc sliding design, which can provide a wide corridor for goods to enter and leave the cabin. It is also the key equipment to isolate the space environment inside and outside the cabin, and it is the first square automatic hatch of China’s space station.

The coolest: supporting the release of micro-satellites in orbit

Mengtian experimental module has the ability to release micro air vehicles in orbit, and will be used as an open cooperation platform to further enhance the comprehensive application benefits of the space station. The Mengtian experimental module is specially equipped with an on-orbit release mechanism for micro aircraft, which can meet the on-orbit release requirements of 100-kilogram micro aircraft or cubic stars with multiple specifications, and solve the problem that micro satellites and cubic stars enter space at low cost.

Astronauts only need to fill the cubic star or microsatellite in the cabin into the "belly" of the release mechanism, and the release mechanism can take the load transfer mechanism to transport the small satellite outside the cabin. After leaving the cabin, the mechanical arm grabs the release mechanism and moves to the designated release direction, and the release mechanism will eject the small satellite like a slingshot to realize the "satellite release" in orbit.