Three more Chinese astronauts (Taikonauts) are currently stranded in space after successfully repatriating previously stranded comrades. Experts say the development highlights potential flaws in China’s space protocols that could unnecessarily put astronauts at risk.
The recently stranded trio Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, and Zhang Hongzhang are the crew of the Shenzhou-21 mission. They have been living at China’s Tiangong Space Station since October 31, shortly after they were launched into space on a Long March 2F rocket. Their mission was to take over the current Shenzhou 20 crew, consisting of ancient aviators Wang Jie, Chen Zhongrui, and Chen Dong, who were originally scheduled to return to Earth on November 5.
you may like
However, while many were quick to celebrate the return of the Shenzhou 20 crew, marking Tyco’s longest single spaceflight (204 days), this means the Shenzhou 21 crew will not have the means to return to Earth on their own, Live Science’s sister site Space.com reported.
According to Space News, recent unconfirmed activity reports by the China Manned Space Administration (CMSA) suggest that an empty alternative return capsule called Shenzhou 22 could be launched into Taigong as early as November 24. However, if something potentially dangerous happens to the Shenzhou-21 crew before then, such as another piece of space junk hitting the main station, they may not be able to return to Earth safely.
Victoria Samson, chief director of space security and stability at the Colorado-based nonprofit Secure World Foundation, recently told Scientific American, “We’re very happy that they (the Shenzhou 20 crew) made it home, but it’s a little disconcerting that their replacement apparently doesn’t have a vehicle to get back to Earth.”
When the new return capsule eventually reaches Tiangong, the damaged Shenzhou 20 capsule will likely be separated from the station, deorbited and ejected into the Pacific Ocean, Reuters said. The Shenzhou 21 crew is widely expected to complete the six-month mission as originally planned.
It is currently unclear why CMSA decided to return the Shenzhou 20 crew before a new capsule was sent into space. CMSA has previously said this is not a problem, but Tiangong is only one-fifth of the size of the International Space Station (ISS) and may not be able to safely support all six ancient astronauts at once.
In the event of an emergency, the stranded crew could return home in a damaged Shenzhou-20 capsule. According to Ars Technica, these spacecraft are divided into three removable sections: a power and propulsion module, a crew quarters, and a parachute-assisted return module. And as long as the cracked windshield isn’t part of the main return module, it might be able to get the stranded crew back to Earth when the time comes.
Unfortunately, the information China has released about its mission and spacecraft design is limited, so we may never know the full explanation.
The respective plights of the Shenzhou 20 and Shenzhou 21 crews are reminiscent of similar “strandings” aboard the ISS. The most notable of these incidents were the recent stories of NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who returned to Earth in March after being in space for nearly nine months, and the record-breaking story of Frank Rubio, who inadvertently spent more than a year in space.
However, under these earlier circumstances, the stranded astronauts could have always safely returned to Earth aboard the remaining return capsule that was already docked at the ISS.
Source link