The rise of nanometers

"Countdown 10...8...6...launch!"

At the No. 2 launch position, the engine nozzle of the Chang 12 launch vehicle instantly spit out light red flames. The majestic chemical energy produced thousands of tons of thrust, and the launch vehicle took off into the sky.

The cooling pool at the bottom of the launch tower was full of water, which was instantly evaporated.

On the observation deck.

Tourists and reporters watched intently. Some cheered and screamed, some were dumbfounded, and some took photos.

Huang Xiuyuan in Shanmei also watched the live broadcast through the camera of the multi-legged mecha. He and Xue Siqiang were in the main control center at this time and could even observe the situation inside the space capsule.

Under super acceleration, the astronauts were firmly fixed in the cockpit seats. The pressure of gravity overload made their expressions somewhat distorted.

Captain Nie Changfeng endured the overload pressure and stared at the instrument panel in front of him, holding the emergency ejection lever with his hand.

Due to the increase in payload, the supporting space capsule of the Chang 12 launch vehicle has more room for design, and is therefore equipped with an emergency escape system. In the event of a failure, the cockpit can be ejected directly.

After adjusting its flight posture and breaking through the black barrier area, the launch vehicle removed its fairing near the Karman line.

After more than 20 minutes of flight, the core first stage separated at 407 kilometers. Then the core first stage activated the auxiliary nozzle, adjusted its flight attitude, and re-circulated back into the atmosphere.

The core level 2 takes the material cabin, cockpit, and auxiliary cabin and flies around the Tiangong Space Station in an orbit of 450 kilometers.

The main ground control center, which has experience in multiple launches, controls the return of the first core to the atmosphere and the second core to the space station.

In the process, the two astronauts also began to take action. After passing through the most dangerous atmospheric stage, they needed to return to normality as soon as possible and then take over part of the control.

Time passed by, and the sun hung high in the sky at noon.

In the cloudless Dongfeng Space City, about 38 kilometers to the east, there is a spacecraft landing area with a radius of 5 kilometers.

After the fuel-rich core stage adjusts its direction of entry into the atmosphere, it begins to fly toward the atmosphere. The landing method of the core stage is vertical landing.

The fuel of the engine is mainly used for flight attitude control and buffering the landing speed.

Inside the main ground control center.

"Height 8,000 meters."

“Third buffer pushback.”

The main engine of the core stage spits flames downwards with low power. In an instant, the falling speed of the core stage suddenly stopped, then slowly dropped, and gradually accelerated.

"Height 4000 meters."

“Fourth Buffer Pushback.”

The buffer was pushed back 6 times continuously, and the core stage finally landed on the ground upright at a speed of about 3 meters per second. When the bottom of the core stage was about 6 meters away from the ground, the four landing buffer brackets popped up instantly, and the landing was stable. Plunged into the ground, the flame from the main engine nozzle went out.

The remaining fuel in the core stage is instantly injected with a stream of condensation flame retardant. This technology is derived from Liu Xin's "coal seam spontaneous combustion control technology" and can effectively reduce fuel waste.

The staff stationed near the landing site came out of the underground bunker and drove the pickup truck towards the first level of the core.

Although this first-level core can only be pulled back for disassembly, the materials on it contain many rare elements, and the condition of the engine needs to be analyzed, so recycling is still very necessary.

Soon the core level 1 was hoisted onto a special transport vehicle and transported back to the base.

In low Earth orbit.

The second stage of the core gradually circled the orbit. After reaching the low-Earth orbit of 452 kilometers, Nie Changfeng and team member He Zhen began to take over the main control.

With the cooperation of the ground and the space station, it completed a synchronous flight with the space station.

"Docking begins."

After Nie Changfeng finished speaking, he carefully controlled the auxiliary engine and aligned the docking module with the docking and transportation module of the space station.

He Zhen on the side was staring at the data and the docking three-dimensional simulation layer on the display with a serious expression. If the docking failed, he had to remedy it in time and quickly separate the spacecraft and the space station.

Various monitoring equipment on the space station and spacecraft monitor the data of both at all times to ensure that the worst-case scenario does not occur.

After adjusting the orientation of the spacecraft and the space station, Nie Changfeng decisively started the docking.

There was no danger, and the docking module of the spacecraft and the docking module of the space station were firmly connected together.

Immediately, the claws of the two docking bays automatically locked each other. Four connecting rods extended from the docking bay of the space station and were inserted into the docking bay of the spacecraft. The automatic locking system locked the connecting rods.

"Tiangong, Tiangong, this is the Shenzhou, the docking has been completed."

"Received, now conducting air tightness test."

After safe docking, it does not mean that everything is fine. An air tightness test still needs to be carried out to ensure that the docking part will not leak.

After half an hour of air tightness testing, there was no air leakage at the docking part.

"Shenzhou, Shenzhou, this is the Tiangong. The air tightness test has passed and the operation is allowed."

"receive."

Stationed astronaut Huang Shengtian, wearing a spacesuit, opened the two air-tight doors of the docking module and came to the docking module of Shenzhou 9.

The docking cabin was filled with various supplies. He first carried the food and fuel supplies to the warehouse of the space station.

Then there are various experimental equipment and spare parts for the new space station cabin. Among the materials delivered this time, there are three new space capsules.

The spare parts of these space capsules require astronauts to assemble them by themselves. This is also the first time they have tried to assemble a space capsule in outer space.

In the past, space capsules were assembled entirely from the ground and launched into orbit.

The advantage of the overall launch is that it does not need to be spliced ​​in space, which reduces a lot of troubles. It has advantages, but it also has disadvantages. The volume of the overall launch is bloated, which is not conducive to the improvement of the payload ratio.

Using parts to assemble can effectively reduce the size of the spacecraft.

This time is just an attempt to see if there are any unexpected problems when the modularly designed space capsule is assembled in space.

When Huang Shengtian moved out of a passage, Nie Changfeng and He Zhen could finally enter the space station from the cockpit.

With the addition of two new troops, everyone quickly moved things to the space station.

The handover of the four astronauts began. Nie Changfeng and He Zhen will replace Huang Shengtian and Chen Zuowen as the station's astronauts.

Huang Shengtian and Chen Zuowen, who have been stationed at the space station for 302 days, are preparing to board the Shenzhou 9 cockpit and return to the ground after a long absence.

On the third day after the docking of the space station and the Shenzhou spacecraft, the ground control center finally sent an order to allow the Shenzhou spacecraft to return to the Blue Star surface.

The cockpit and auxiliary module are the parts that will return to the ground this time. The remaining docking module, supply module and core level 2 will remain on the space station side.

In the docking cabin, after Nie Changfeng, He Zhen, Huang Shengtian and Chen Zuowen saluted each other, Nie Changfeng said: "Take care, I wish you a smooth return and a successful completion of the mission."

"The same goes for you, see you in Dongfeng Aerospace City." Huang Shengtian patted the other party's shoulder.

The air-tight door of the docking cabin slowly closed.

Half an hour later, the Shenzhou spacecraft broke away from the Tiangong Space Station and began to orbit the space station, approaching the atmosphere at a constant speed.

Like the core-stage landing method, the Shenzhou spacecraft also landed vertically.

Due to the large amount of surplus fuel, the Shenzhou spacecraft can start a reverse thrust landing at a constant speed at an altitude of 35 kilometers, and land little by little toward the landing site on the ground.

The moment the landing buffer bracket was deployed, the ground control center and the space station felt relieved.

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