On the afternoon of December 2, in the first-floor lobby of the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, the re-entry module, the orbital module and the propelling module of the Shenzhou VII spacecraft all lined up for viewing. Also, a 30 meter long parachute with red and white stripes was hanging on the wall, like a giant pleated skirt. The Shanghai 2008 Aerospace Technology Exhibition will run from December 3 to 9.
The model of Shenzhou VII's re-entry module on display at the aerospace exhibition.Upon entering the exhibition area, reporters first saw the three modules - a model of the re-entry module of Shenzhou VII, as well as the actual orbital and propelling modules from the spacecraft. Although the re-entry module is only a 1:1 scale model, the three taikonaut seats inside are the real thing. These seats, shaped like large "gourd ladles" and somewhat resembling reclining chairs, offer the perfect angle for taikonauts to see the overhead dashboard in front of them.
The orbital module is the module in which taikonaut Zhai Zhigang conducted his spacewalk mission. Placed on the center of the module, which stands at over 2 meters high, is a round lid with a diameter of 0.8 meters. This is the door through which the astronauts exited the module. On top of the door is a handrail, upon which are installed floodlights and a video camera. The fact that the Chinese taikonauts' first spacewalk mission was able to seen around the world in real time can largely be attributed to these two key components. The spacecraft's LED lighting used for the spacewalk was researched and developed by the Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. This set of 24 lights, each only the size of a cherry tomato, can emit stable light without flickering for a duration as long as 90 minutes.
The propelling module is the spacecraft's dynamics system. Several "wine glass-shaped objects" are attached to its surface, each constituting one of the propelling module's 48 different-sized engines. By expelling air, these help adjust the flying altitude of the spacecraft.
At the exhibition, the public can also see that advanced aerospace technology is not that far removed from people's daily lives. Reporters learned that common objects in our daily life, such as laptops, vibration-reduction video cameras, water-absorbent baby diapers, instant noodles, vacuum-packed food and cool-source lighting, were all initially products of new and high-level aerospace technology and now bring great benefit to the lives of ordinary people.
By People's Daily Online
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