Chethana Janith, Jadetimes Staff
C. Janith is a Jadetimes news reporter covering science and geopolitics.
China have a roadmap to sent astronauts to the Moon in 2030 and when they do, they are going with a very definite nod to the Chinese origins to the rocket! Their officials have unveiled the new look Chinese space suit with all the mod cons but with a design that is somewhat reminiscent of Chinese armour. There will some fabulous features like the close and long distance field of view visor, a chest control panel and a protective material to shield against the harmful lunar environment.
Think of space exploration and it won’t be long before images of astronauts in space suits appears in your mind. The puffy looking outfits are of crucial importance to human space flight for they are the life-support system, enabling an astronaut to stay alive in space! Providing protection against extreme temperatures, the suit is also able to maintain a constant pressure around the astronaut to protect from the vacuum of space.
They provide oxygen for breathing, a coolant system, toiletry provision and a helmet with a special sun visor to protect their eyes. It’s fair to say, without a spacesuit, space exploration wouldn’t be possible, at least outside the confines of a spaceship.
Just recently, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) revealed their space suit to be used in the first China Moon landing. It was displayed at the third Spacesuit Technology Forum in the southwest Chongqing Municipality and was adorned with red stripes. The stripes on the arms are a nod to the famous ‘flying apsaras’ (the flying celestial beings that accompany Buddhas!) while the stripes on the legs represent rocket flames during launch!
A video has been released that shows the space suits being put through their paces by astronauts Zhai Zhigang and Wang Yaping. It shows the duo wearing the space suits and performing a range of different movements from walking, bending, kneeling on one knee and squatting. All of which seems to have been performed with ease.
The two made Chinese history when Zhia became the first Chinese astronaut to conduct a spacewalk and Wang became the first woman who entered the Chinese space station.
The new suit began development in 2020 with the aim to produce a lightweight suit for lunar exploration that was compact and reliable. To enable the success, a number of technological breakthroughs was achieved. The first and second generations of the Feitian spacesuits which preceded this new design have enabled 17 astronauts to complete 17 extravehicular activities (activities outside the space craft) helping construct and maintain the Tiangong Space Station.
With all going to plan, the Chinese lunar mission plan is to land an explorer on the Moon’s surface by 2030. With the launch (pardon the pun) of the new Moon-landing spacesuit, CSMA mark a new era in their shot for the Moon.
