Beijing, Astronaut Training Center.
This vast aerospace research institute with a history of more than 50 years has been opened to private individuals for the first time and welcomed its first 'customer' to participate in training.
As a black car drove through the gate and stopped in front of the control center building, curious eyes instantly came from all directions.
Wei Kang stepped out of the car, followed by Jian Lian Yun.
As soon as the two stood still, they saw a figure walking forward quickly.
This is a middle-aged man in his early forties, with a resolute face, a calm temperament, and a hint of restraint in his enthusiasm. He reaches out his hand from a distance.
"Mr. Wei, I am Su Yang, who is in charge of reception, and I am also an instructor of astronauts. Nice to meet you."
Wei Kang smiled slightly and said very politely: "Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. This is my wife Jian Lian Yun. I'll leave this training to you."
After the three of them chatted for a while, Su Yang took them around the entire training center to familiarize themselves with the venue and prepare themselves mentally for the first training.
"It's a bit late today. Let's take a rest and get familiar with the environment. We will start formal training early tomorrow morning."
Su Yang explained the specific itinerary one by one: "Generally speaking, astronauts must undergo three years of rigorous training before entering space. For non-professionals, such as scientists participating in aerospace, the time will be shorter, but it also requires About a year and a half.”
"Of course, their training content is relatively large. Mr. Wei, you will only stay in the space station for a few days. You don't need such long-term training. You only need to conduct aerospace-related training."
"It mainly includes three aspects. The first is weightlessness and overweight training, the second is aerospace living environment training, and the third is emergency life-saving training."
"The time is three months, seven days per month, and then another 14 days of intensive training before the rocket launch."
"Because this is the first training this week, it is mainly general training, including a four-day flight knowledge course, such as astronomy, geography, flight mechanics, rocket and spacecraft construction, necessary medical knowledge and rescue techniques, etc."
Having said this, he smiled: "Both of them are professionals in the pharmaceutical industry. They should get full marks in medicine."
Wei Kang asked curiously: "Why are there still exams?"
Su Yang nodded: "During the intensive training before the rocket launch, the knowledge courses will be subject to a final assessment. Only those who pass can proceed to the next step."
Jian Jian Yun looked forward to it, a little eager to try: "It's been a long time since I took the exam, so I'm really looking forward to it."
"Then there will be three days of simulation training, including comprehensive drills in spacecraft landing training, docking training, exiting the cabin, activities inside and outside the cabin, recovery and rescue, etc."
"Of course, the first simulation training will not be too in-depth. It mainly allows the two to become familiar with the aircraft and flight procedures, and experience the weightless environment."
"Only in the second training will in-depth professional training be carried out, mainly to carry out movement exercises in weightlessness to enhance the two's tolerance to overweight, and at the same time improve their adaptability to the aerospace environment and life."
"The third training was similar to the first two, except that there were no theoretical knowledge courses, and lifesaving training on ejection seats and lifeguard towers was added. Of course, there will also be wilderness survival training."
Jian Jianyun asked in surprise: "Didn't it land directly at the space center? Why is there still wilderness survival training?"
Su Yang chuckled and said: "That's right. This is to deal with the emergency return of the manned spacecraft, or some special circumstances that occur on the way back. At this time, the return capsule may land in an uninhabited place, such as the vast sea or virgin forest. Or deep in the desert.”
"If it happens, you will not be able to communicate with the rescue personnel on the ground in time, so while waiting for rescue, you must use your own life-saving knowledge and survival skills to save yourself."
"In the 1960s, when a manned spacecraft of Mao Xiong returned to land, it made an emergency landing in the birch forest of the Ural Mountains due to a malfunction. The two astronauts could only write a distress signal in the snow while carrying it with them An emergency pistol to protect against wolves and bears, and a fire to keep out the cold.”
"In the end, the well-trained astronauts relied on their excellent survival skills to get out of the predicament and waited until rescuers arrived."
"That's it." The two looked at each other and suddenly realized.
"Don't worry too much. Mastering these knowledge and skills is mainly to improve your life-saving ability and psychological quality, so as to be prepared. In fact, emergency situations where astronauts land in the wilderness, sea and desert almost never happen."
"I understand." Jian Jianyun couldn't help but sigh: "It seems that it is really not easy to be an astronaut. We go up for three days and undergo three months of training. They have to stay for several months and need to undergo three years of training." Training requires a lot more learning than us.”
Wei Kang nodded in agreement: "It's true, it's all very hard. It's simply devilish training. It's really not easy to become an excellent astronaut."
The next day, the two officially started training.
The flight knowledge class was okay, not too difficult. Both of them were highly educated people with strong learning ability and memory. They memorized all the knowledge points without much effort.
Not to mention medical knowledge and first aid techniques.
These are instincts engraved in their bones. They already know that, just because the environment has changed from the earth to space, many steps and technologies need to make certain changes.
On the fifth day, weightless training begins.
Su Yang led the two of them to a huge water tank early in the morning.
The water tank is 10 meters deep and 23 meters in diameter. From a distance, it looks like a giant.
This is a neutral buoyancy tank that provides astronauts with simulated weightlessness training.
The space station underwater training model lies quietly at the bottom of the water.
Extravehicular activity training can be carried out here, especially extravehicular operations such as extravehicular walking, extravehicular assembly and maintenance, with outstanding results.
Of course, it was impossible for Wei Kang and the others to perform such advanced operations during their first training. This time they came just to experience the weightless environment.
The three of them put on their tank training clothes, entered the tank, and slowly descended to the space station model at the bottom.
This model is made at 1:1 scale with the space station and is very realistic.
Wei Kang was floating in the cabin, and everything in front of him felt novel and immersive, as if he had really arrived at the space station.
He was very excited, touching here and there, with a smile on his face.
Jian Lian Yun was not so excited, but he couldn't help but look around, as if his horizons were wide open.
Su Yang smiled at the side. He understood very well the excitement of ordinary people seeing a living space station for the first time. Even if it was just a model, it would be an unforgettable experience.
After the two of them slowly calmed down, the training began.
As an instructor, Su Yang's task is to decompose each movement, refine each posture, and help the two master body movements, posture control, and activities inside and outside the cabin in weightlessness.
Including opening and closing the cabin door, exiting and entering the cabin, walking inside and outside the cabin, etc.
The training lasts 3-4 hours, and it takes a lot of physical energy because it is in the water.
By the time it was over, Wei Kang felt a little tired, and Jian Jian Yun was even more pale and out of breath.
"Haha, it's your first training. You're definitely not used to it. It requires an adaptation process. This training is equivalent to moderate physical labor on the ground. It's normal to feel tired."
Su Yang said thoughtfully: "Take a good rest at noon, and you can start later in the afternoon."
Wei Kang hammered his sore thigh and asked, "What training is this afternoon?"
Su Yang smiled mysteriously: "You will know when the time comes."
After lunch, the two took a nap in the room for a while, and then came to a laboratory.
On one side of the laboratory is the control desk, and on the other side is the sunken space. There is a very strange piece of equipment that looks like a metal ladle.
The handle of the spoon was nailed to the ground by a metal pole, and the spoon continued to rotate around the metal pole, making a loud buzzing sound.
Wei Kang stood on it, looked at it for a while, and felt a little dizzy.
"This is a manned centrifuge. There is a manned cabin at the spoon. After a while, you can sit in it and experience the feeling of being overweight."
Su Yang pointed to the centrifuge: "This is overweight endurance and adaptability training. The purpose is to enable astronauts to withstand huge overloads during the ascent and descent of the spacecraft, always stay awake, and perform correct operations."
"There's someone in there right now, experiencing an overweight state."
Jian Jianyun looked at the high-speed rotating centrifuge and couldn't help but be stunned. After a while, he asked: "How big is this gravity?"
"8 times the acceleration due to gravity."
"8 times!" Jian Jianyun suddenly exclaimed: "Oh my god, can we withstand such a heavy gravity?"
"No, the general population can only withstand 3-4 times the acceleration of gravity at most, so the gravity you bear will slowly increase, starting with 1x and 2x."
Su Yang smiled and explained: "The eight gravitational accelerations are for astronauts and do not apply to you. Moreover, astronauts must complete various technical actions in this case, which is quite difficult."
As he spoke, the centrifuge slowly stopped.
After a while, an astronaut walked out, rubbing his face vigorously with his hands as he walked.
Wei Kang looked over and was startled. He saw that the other person's face was full of tears and the muscles on his face were also somewhat deformed.
Su Yang came over and explained in a low voice: "Under 8 times gravity, the facial muscles will be severely deformed due to the strong pulling force, tears will flow out unconsciously, and you will also feel difficulty breathing. It is quite uncomfortable. , it’s best for most people not to try it easily.”
The two nodded at the same time, feeling a little uneasy.
This centrifuge looks very uncomfortable. Even with three or four times the gravity, it seems that it will make people very uncomfortable and leave deep memories that will last a lifetime.
Next, Wei Kang personally experienced the crazy power of a manned centrifuge.
When it doubled or doubled, he could still hold on. When it slowly increased to four times, he could no longer control his facial expressions. As for the snot and tears, they came out as if they were free of money. come out.
"Stop! Stop! I have to slow down!" After coming out, Wei Kang felt dizzy. Fortunately, someone helped him, so he didn't fall to the ground.
Jian Jian Yun was not much better than him. After he came out, his face was pale, his eyes were straight, and he had to be helped to walk.
The two of them were sitting on the chairs, both still feeling dizzy.
"It's so, so uncomfortable. I almost suspected that I would have a cerebral hemorrhage." Jian Jianyun gasped.
"You can still use your brain, but my brain is completely blank." Wei Kang said with a bitter smile.
"Astronauts are still amazing. They can actually do technical moves under 8 times gravity."
"Sure enough, it takes three years of training to reach their standards. We only train for three months. We can't do anything up there, we can only look around."
The two sighed for a long time before slowly returning to normal.
"Actually, your training results are already very good. It can be seen that your body is in great shape. You should have exercised regularly."
Su Yang asked with a smile on the side. In fact, he was also surprised. Others would have cried for father and mother and couldn't hold on anymore, but Wei Kang was able to hold on to 4 times gravity without losing his composure.
"Well, we usually like running. We go for a few laps every morning and evening if we have nothing to do. Maybe our physical fitness is not bad."
"Teacher Su, I feel that the weightless training in the morning was more comfortable. The overweight experience in the afternoon was too sour. I wonder what training will be tomorrow?"
Wei Kang couldn't help but start to worry when he thought about the two days of devil training.
"In the morning, I will focus on weightless training. In fact, this centrifuge is nothing. There will be something more refreshing tomorrow."
"What? Is there anything more sour?" The two of them were instantly shocked.
"There is also vestibular function training, which is to sit on an electric swivel chair, rotate up and down, left and right, and then distinguish the direction."
"What?" The two of them looked at each other, suddenly feeling an ominous premonition.
Sure enough, they experienced this super sour feeling the next afternoon.
Wei Kang sat on the swivel chair, put on a blindfold, and fixed his head, feet and arms.
Then, the swivel chair began to spin crazily, sometimes quickly turning clockwise, sometimes counterclockwise, and at the same time, it kept swinging up and down, back and forth, just like a pendulum, and it was still swinging irregularly.
He completely lost his sense of direction and balance, and seemed to have turned into a mouse hanging in the air, swinging crazily in all directions on a rope.
Instantly, Wei Kang felt a strong sense of dizziness and nausea in his stomach.
He resisted the desire to vomit and persisted until the end.
After coming down, Wei Kang's whole body felt soft and he slumped directly on the chair.
"Oh my god, it's so uncomfortable. I feel like I'm sick."
Jian Jian Yun stretched out his hand as if reflexively, rolled his eyelids, touched his forehead, covered his mouth and smiled: "You're not sick. This is a special physiological reaction of people in a weightless environment, called space." Motion sickness is similar to motion sickness."
"Mrs. Wei still knows more," Su Yang gave a thumbs up and praised: "Vestibular function training is mainly to prevent the occurrence of spatial motion sickness and reduce symptom reactions. Once you train more, you will get used to it. Not only is everything fine, but after all the earth-shaking troubles, I can immediately tell the difference between east, west and north."
"I can't do it anymore." Wei Kang said weakly: "This training is too grueling. Fortunately, I am just a tourist going to space, not a real astronaut."
"There is still one day left, persistence is victory!" Jian Jianyun gently hugged Wei Kang and cheered him up.
"That's right. If you do it a few times, it won't be so uncomfortable."
Su Yang comforted: "Actually, you have performed very well. If it were others, your health would not be as good and you would be exhausted."
Wei Kang nodded, thinking of the space capsule model, and thinking that he would be able to take off on a rocket in more than three months and realize his dream of looking at the earth in the universe, he suddenly became excited again.
Another day passed and the week of training finally came to a successful end.
The two came with high expectations and returned with great ambitions.
After this training, I fully realized the hardship of climbing to the sky.
And when Wei Kang took a day off at home and returned to the office again.
He got another piece of good news.
"Has the magnetic capsule gastroscopy sample been prepared?"
(End of chapter)
