According to the China Manned Space Engineering Office, the combination of the Shenzhou-16 manned spacecraft and the Long March 2F Y16 carrier rocket was transported to the launch site on May 22 and is scheduled to be launched at an appropriate time in the near future.
On May 22, the Shenzhou-16 manned spacecraft and the Long March 2F Y16 carrier rocket combination were in transit. (Source: Xinhua News Agency)
According to the 2023 China Manned Space Mission List, after the launch of Shenzhou-16 this month, Shenzhou-17 will be launched in October. During this period, there is a particularly noteworthy focus, which is that the third batch of Chinese astronauts will step onto the stage of the space station, and the astronauts of the Shenzhou 16 and 17 crews will appear for the first time as flight engineers and payload experts.
The selection of the third batch of reserve astronauts will be completed in 2020
According to the China Manned Space Engineering Office on October 1, 2020, the selection of the third batch of reserve astronauts for China's manned space program has recently ended. A total of 18 reserve astronauts (including 1 female) have been selected, including 7 space pilots, 7 space flight engineers, and 4 payload experts, who will become new members of China's astronaut team.
It is reported that in order to meet the needs of China's space station engineering missions, the third batch of reserve astronauts has added two categories: space flight engineers and payload experts, on the basis of space pilots. Among them, space pilots and flight engineers are mainly responsible for directly operating and managing spacecraft, as well as conducting related technical experiments. The payload expert is mainly responsible for the in orbit operation of space science experimental payloads.
Space pilots are selected from active pilots in the Air Force, space flight engineers are selected from engineering and technical personnel engaged in aerospace engineering and related fields, and payload experts are selected from scientific researchers in the field of space science research and application in manned spaceflight engineering.
Or for the first time, non pilot born 'astronauts' may be welcomed
At present, the crew members of the Shenzhou-16 mission have not been announced yet. According to analysis, it is highly likely that the three person formation will still be retained.
According to reports, since the successful launch of Shenzhou V, China has sent 16 and 26 astronauts into space until Shenzhou-15. The first batch of 9 active astronauts and the second batch of 7 astronauts have all achieved spaceflight. It is expected that the Shenzhou-16 crew will continue to lead the new with the old 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 Shenzhou 16 and 17 crews will have two types of personnel for the first time: flight engineers and payload experts, it means that for the first time, there will be "astronauts" from non pilot backgrounds entering space to carry out missions.
'Load experts' do not require pilot background
It is reported that payload experts are a type of astronaut classified by mission, referring to researchers who conduct scientific and applied research experiments in space stations. Simply put, payload experts are astronauts who participate in space experiment operations. With the deepening of space science and technology activities, space science and technology activities are becoming increasingly specialized, thus payload experts have emerged. The payload expert does not require a pilot background, but must have received professional training in fields such as science, medicine, engineering, and have rich operational experience, mainly responsible for the operation of relevant experimental payloads.
It is reported that different countries refer to astronauts involved in space experiment operations differently at different stages. For example, the United States referred to them as "scientist astronauts" during the Apollo moon landing phase and "payload experts" during the space shuttle phase; During the phase of the Mir space station, Russia referred to them as "research astronauts" and others.
What are the requirements for selecting "load experts"
On October 2, 2022, the China Manned Space Engineering Office announced that the selection of the fourth batch of reserve astronauts in China has recently begun to meet the needs of subsequent manned space engineering missions. A total of 12 to 14 reserve astronauts were selected this time, including around 2 payload experts.
According to reports, candidates for payload experts need to have a doctoral degree in a relevant professional field, have worked in the relevant industry for no less than 3 years, and be between the ages of 30 and 45. Load experts also need to meet certain physical requirements, with male height ranging from 162 to 175 centimeters and female height ranging from 160 to 175 centimeters.