Find out! How did the first set of high-definition "family portraits" on the Chinese space station come about?

On November 28, the first ultra-high-definition full-body photo of the Chinese space station was officially released. This is the first set of full-configuration working photos of the Chinese space station .

Image source: China Manned Spaceflight

According to the "China Manned Spaceflight" official account, the panoramic photos of the space station complex taken by the Shenzhou 16 crew with a high-definition camera as they flew around the spacecraft before returning to the ground were first released at a meeting between the manned space engineering delegation and the media organized by the Hong Kong SAR government. This is the first time that China has obtained a full-view image of the space station complex with the Earth as the background in orbit .

How to take a "perfect photo" of the space station from a spacecraft?

It is understood that this group of photos was taken by astronauts using a handheld high-definition camera through the porthole of the spacecraft's return capsule after the spacecraft and the space station separated. In order to find the right shooting position and angle, the designers and flight control personnel carefully planned, designed and implemented it accurately, allowing the spacecraft to "move and turn".

At 20:37 on October 30 this year, the Shenzhou 16 manned spacecraft successfully separated from the space station complex . After completing the evacuation from the radial docking port of the Chinese space station, Shenzhou 16 flew around the space station from 200 meters below the spacecraft. After flying to a point 600 meters above the space station, the Shenzhou 16 astronaut crew used a handheld high-definition camera to take a panoramic image of the space station complex with the earth as the background.

Schematic diagram of the spacecraft's path for flying around and photographing the space station complex (the red part is the shooting area)

Image source: China Manned Spaceflight

When the spacecraft is flying in a normal attitude, the portholes are distributed on the left and right sides of the return capsule. Astronauts cannot take pictures of the space station from the portholes. Therefore, the spacecraft must make a rolling attitude adjustment to make the portholes one up and one down, and find a suitable shooting angle through the perspective of the portholes below.

Compared with the previous Shenzhou-10 manned spacecraft's "translation" flight and the Shenzhou-12 manned spacecraft's 180-degree horizontal rotation during the flight, this "tumbling" flight posture is much more complicated!

Schematic diagram of the forward and reverse pulses of the spacecraft after it flies around

This is where the "all-round helmsman in space" - the Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) system of the Shenzhou spacecraft comes in handy! In order to accurately control the relative motion trajectory of the spacecraft and the space station, the head of the spacecraft must be pointed toward the space station as much as possible. The GNC system must take into account the link between the relay antenna and the relay satellite in a special posture, ensuring that the ground can monitor and intervene while ensuring accurate and stable control.

Every action of the spacecraft is inseparable from the careful planning, precise design and accurate implementation of the scientific research team . Since the Chinese manned space station project was officially launched in September 2010, we have achieved newer results and greater breakthroughs time and time again. We look forward to the Chinese space station becoming the "space home" of all mankind as soon as possible!

Comprehensive sources: China Manned Spaceflight, Xinhua News Agency, CCTV News, etc.