Central Broadcasting Network Beijing reported on May 23 that according to the China Manned Space Engineering Office, the Shenzhou-16 manned spacecraft and the Long March-2F Yao-16 carrier rocket combination were transferred to the launch area on the 22nd, and it is planned to choose the opportunity to launch in the near future.
On May 22, the Shenzhou 16 manned spacecraft and the Long March 2F Yao-16 carrier rocket combination were on the way to transshipment. (Source: Xinhua News Agency)
According to China's manned space "task list" in 2023, the launch of Shenzhou 16 this month will be followed by the launch of Shenzhou 17 in October. During this period, there is a particularly worthy focus, that is, the third batch of Chinese astronauts will be on the stage of the space station, and the astronauts of the Shenzhou sixteen and seventeen crews will appear for the first time two types of personnel including flight engineers and load experts.
The third batch of reserve astronauts will complete the selection in 2020
According to the news of the China Manned Space Engineering Office on October 1, 2020, the selection of the third batch of reserve astronauts in China's manned space project ended a few days ago, and a total of 18 reserve astronauts (including 1 woman) were finally selected, including 7 space pilots, 7 space flight engineers and 4 payload experts, who will become new members of China's astronaut team.
According to reports, in order to meet the needs of China's space station engineering tasks, the third batch of reserve astronauts has added two categories of space flight engineers and payload experts on the basis of space pilots. Among them, space pilots and space flight engineers are mainly responsible for directly controlling and managing spacecraft, as well as carrying out related technical tests. The payload specialist is primarily responsible for the on-orbit operation of the payload of the space science experiment.
Space pilots are selected among the active pilots of the Air Force, space flight engineers are selected among engineering and technical personnel engaged in aerospace engineering and related fields, and load experts are selected among scientific researchers in the field of space science research and application of manned space engineering.
Or will welcome non-pilot-turned-"astronauts" for the first time
At present, the flight crew crew of the Shenzhou 16 mission has not yet been announced, and according to analysis, the probability is that the three-person formation will still be retained.
According to reports, since the successful launch of the "Shenzhou 5", by Shenzhou 15, China has sent 16 and 26 astronauts to space, and the first batch of 9 astronauts and the second batch of 7 people have all achieved flight. It is expected that the Shenzhou sixteen crew will still "lead the new with the old", led by the older generation of astronauts, and there will also be a third batch of astronauts making their debut, which will be one of the biggest highlights of this mission.
If the astronauts of the Shenzhou sixteen and seventeenth crews will appear for the first time, flight engineers and payload experts, it means that for the first time, "astronauts" from non-pilot backgrounds will enter space to carry out a mission.
"Load Specialist" does not require a pilot background
According to reports, the payload expert is a kind of astronauts classified by mission, which refers to scientific researchers who carry out scientific and applied research and other experimental work in the space station, simply put, the payload expert is the astronaut who participates in the operation of space experiments. With the deepening of space science and technology activities, space science and technology activities have become more and more specialized, so payload experts have emerged. Load experts do not require pilot background, but must be professionally trained and have rich operating experience in science, medicine, engineering and other fields, and are mainly responsible for the operation of relevant experimental loads.
According to reports, different countries at different stages call astronauts involved in space experiment operations differently, such as the United States called "scientist astronaut" in the Apollo lunar landing stage, and "payload expert" in the space shuttle stage; Russia is called "research astronauts" during the Mir space station stage, among others.
What are the requirements for selecting a "load specialist"
On October 2, 2022, the China Manned Space Engineering Office announced that in order to meet the needs of the follow-up mission of the manned space project, the selection of the fourth batch of reserve astronauts in China has been launched recently. A total of 12 to 14 reserve astronauts were selected this time, including about 2 payload experts.
According to reports, load expert candidates need to have a doctorate degree in a relevant professional field, have worked in a relevant industry for at least 3 years, and be between 30 and 45 years old. The load specialist also needs to meet certain physical requirements, which must be 162 to 175 cm tall for men and 160 to 175 cm for women.