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Last time we talked about how the American astronauts could not come back. Now, I saw many friends in the background sending private messages to me, asking them what they would do in the space for the next eight long months. They couldn’t just stand there as punishment, right?

Some friends have more flexible thinking. When they see eight or nine months, they immediately think: Doesn’t that mean that it is enough for two people to go up and three people to come down? . .

Well, what’s going on? Some people are still eating Xizhilang and dreaming about space, and some people are born astronauts, right?

Some also said that while the heat of the Olympics has not yet died down down there, some competitions will be held in the sky.

As a result, they really started playing table tennis.

To be honest, the current space station can indeed guarantee the long-term living of astronauts. The astronaut with the longest service, Kononenko, has been in space for two and a half years, a real Slav superman.

Our country also frequently sends astronauts to our Tiangong space station for rotation. Now there are people there 24 hours a day.

But what do these astronauts do in space all day? Like many of our friends, we are still relatively unfamiliar with their lives. They don’t play table tennis all day, do they?

Fortunately, after searching for information and asking some industry insiders, Jiang Jiang finally found outIt turns out that astronauts’ tasks are actually quite busy.。

Netizen photoshopped: Don't ask, what about the dust?

And these missions in heaven,In fact, alreadysuperiorI started to get busy when...

This has to do with the selection of astronauts. Many people have seen the abnormal training used to select pilots, but for astronauts, it is just an appetizer.

Because even if you pass these selections with a high elimination rate, you still have to take more than 50 professional courses, all taught by teachers from key universities.It is equivalent to studying a whole 985 undergraduate program.All.

Only after passing all the assessments will the astronauts be eligible to join the reserve team, and then be organized into teams of three to begin training.

When you really go to heaven,The astronauts' official work has just begun: in addition to maintaining the spacecraft and equipment, they also have to spend a lot of time doing experiments.。

As for why people have to conduct experiments in space, it is mainly because the microgravity environment in space is indeed quite special and unique, so many experimental projects on Earth that have strict environmental requirements can be done much more conveniently here.

These include not only astronomy, fluid mechanics, material science, and basic physics, which are basic subjects that make us liberal arts students' scalps tingle, but also many that are related to biology, and many of which study cells and bacteria in space.

Of course, as a traditional Chinese art, it is definitely indispensableGrowing vegetables and raising fish。。。

I know what you want to ask. These vegetables can be eaten after they are approved by the ground.

In order to carry out these experimental projects, the Tiangong Space Station has two dedicated experimental cabins, which were launched in July 2022.Ask the HeavenThe experimental chamber and OctoberDream DayExperimental Chamber. (Look at this name, it's so fitting.)

Since the Tiangong-1 in 2011, the Tiangong space station has completed more than 3,000 experiments, some of which sound quite magical, such asCold flame combustion。

In simple terms, scientists have discovered that after the flames are extinguished, the fuel can actually continue to burn for a while at low temperatures, and this phenomenon is more obvious in space. Other scientists also said that if this research is understood, it will bring new improvements to engine technology.

Hot flame and cold flame

However, with so many experiments, certainly not all have to be done by the astronauts themselves. Firstly, it is impossible for them to be proficient in all projects in various fields, and secondly, it would be very time-consuming to master all of them.

So hereMany experimental equipment are automaticThe astronauts are only responsible for starting up and seeing if things are normal. The specific data are transmitted directly to the ground.

Of course, there are some experiments that must rely on the participation of astronauts, such as changing consumables and copying data, which all require human observation. After all, growing vegetables and raising fish requires hands-on work, otherwise it won’t feel right. . .

Fish at the bottom

In addition to conducting experiments, astronauts also have to spend a long time of the day on health checks.

There are 17 physical examinations, all of which will be analyzed as cases of space human medicine. They involve not only various physiological testing instruments, but alsoTraditional Chinese Medicine Consultationsystem... so the astronauts must go and test it in person and provide relevant data.

The reason why so much effort is spent is, on the one hand, because the environment in space is special and its impact on the human body must be understood, otherwise it will be impossible to expedition to the sea of ​​stars.

On the other hand, the health of astronauts must be guaranteed, mainly because space has a huge impact on the human body, especially bone metabolism imbalance and muscle atrophy.

Simply put, normal bone growth and maintenance require gravity and exercise stimulation. There is no gravity in space, and the radiation is high, which can easily cause symptoms such as osteoporosis, bone decalcification, and decreased bone density, as well as continuous muscle loss. This is the so-calledSpace adaptation syndrome.

Astronauts practice Tai Chi for health in the space station

However, although this unique environment has an impact on the body, retired Canadian astronaut Hadfield recalled that there has never been a case of astronauts getting sick in space.

This may be because the environment in space is harsh and there are no bacteria or viruses, but he also said that he sometimes gets headaches, and thenTake some painkillersIt's over...

Very good, very good, it is worthy of being the North American region.

Of course, you don’t work 24 hours a day in heaven. There is also time to get off work and rest.

In fact, their schedules are also arranged according to the 8-hour work system, and overtime is arranged according to their mood and time. (Don’t ask about overtime pay, they have bonuses)

In order to ensure their health, their sleep quality must also be fully guaranteed. After all, they can see 16 sunrises and sunsets every day in the space station. If they fly faster, they will catch up with the Little Prince Planet B612, soCan't be like the earth "Work at sunrise and rest at sunset", astronauts usually have to sleep for 8 hours on a regular basis.

For example, our Tiangong space station has done a pretty good job in providing rest for astronauts. Everyone hasIndependent cubicle with portholeYou can see the blue planet.

What I mean is, this is much better than the space capsule that Jiang Jiang sleeps in at the airport. I am really envious. I wish I could go up there and lie down sometime.

When we got to the rest module, we saw many astronauts had put photos on the walls. How should I put it? It was a bit like putting up posters in my college dormitory. It really had a sense of life.

Excluding 8 hours of sleep, the leisure life after get off work is also 8 hours, but in fact it is still quite tight.

Because this not only takes into account eating and physical exercise, but also the requirement of organizing the space.

That's right.We also have to clean and tidy up our house in heaven.

This leaves only about two hours a day for personal leisure and entertainment.

At this time, some astronauts will choose to read books, listen to music, or call their families, while others will choose to play games or watch movies.

As for what people are watching, they usually find out in advance on the ground.According to their interestsPrepared. For example, American astronauts on the International Space Station like to watch Star Wars, Star Trek and the like, and sometimes they bring Russian astronauts to watch them together.

But not everyone is involved in film and television. Astronauts occasionallyPat PianziLiven up the atmosphere.

As we mentioned at the beginning, on the day of the men's singles table tennis final at the Olympic Games, our astronauts filmed a short video of playing table tennis in the Tiangong Space Station.

There was another time when an American astronaut on the International Space Station found a gorilla suit after get off work and took a photo.Space gorillas hunt other astronautsA very funny joke...

What kind of space version of Planet of the Apes? Caesar has come here to kill his way there, right?

Scott Kelly floats in the International Space Station in a gorilla suit. Image credit: NASA

In general, although the life of astronauts on space missions is the same as everyone else, with normal work and home time, it is still quite rich and they don’t have to worry about anything. (It happened before, but it’s gone now)

Although everyone is worried about astronauts being lonely and depressed in space, Russian Space Research Institute Academician Zheleznyakov recalled that he had never seen anyone with psychological problems in space becauseI'm actually very busy every day and don't have time to think about my problems.

This is quite true. I used to feel anxious and uneasy, always failing to do this or that. Later I realized that I didn't care about anything else and just did it.

In a word: get moving, don't think too much, and everything will be fine.

Written by: Naxi

edit: Jiang Jiang & Noodles

Art： Xuanxuan

Image, source：
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, Applied Control and Technology Center of Chinese Academy of Sciences

Xinhua News Agency, CCTV News, NASA, MoonCamp, Our Space, etc.