China makes 'reality show' to decide which astronaut to keep in space

China launches preparatory mission to go to the Moon
China transformed a space mission into a kind of scientific "reality show" to decide which astronaut will spend the longest time in space. The Shenzhou-23 mission, launched this week towards the Chinese space station Tiangong, will carry three crew members - but only one of them will remain in orbit for a year. The choice will be made based on each astronaut's adaptation to life in microgravity.
According to Chinese authorities, the prolonged stay will serve to study the medical effects of microgravity on the human body, in a step considered strategic for Beijing's plans to take astronauts to the Moon by 2030.
China accelerates space race and launches mission that could help the country take humans to the Moon by 2030
China launches preparatory mission for going to the Moon Lua
Reproduction/TV Globo
The mission
The trip to the space station lasted around three and a half hours - much less time than normally spent by the United States to reach the International Space Station.
The mission departed from the Gobi desert, in northwestern China, on the 40th flight of China's manned space program. The destination is Tiangong Station, whose name means "Heavenly Palace" in Mandarin. Among the crew is Lai Kai Yin, the first person from Hong Kong to go into space. Her participation is also seen as a political gesture of integration of the former British colony into mainland China.
Among the astronauts is Laing, the first person from Hong Kong to go into space.
According to analysts interviewed by Fantástico, her participation also has political weight, as Beijing tries to reinforce Hong Kong's integration into the country after years of tensions and disputes over rights in the region.
Another crew member is Jang Juan, a former Chinese Air Force pilot who underwent training extremes, including days isolated inside a cave without light to simulate the conditions of space.
Autonomous navigation and technological dispute
Docking to the space station was done without a pilot in control, using the Beidou system, the GPS developed by China itself.
In 2020, the country became the third nation in the world with its own global navigation system, behind only the United States and Russia.
The mission also shows China's attempt to reduce technological dependence on Americans in areas considered strategic.
The Shenzhou 23 carries nine scientific experiments and 54 kilos of equipment. Among them, studies on changes in liver cells in a microgravity environment and tests with perovskite solar cells, a technology considered lighter and cheaper for future space bases.
Astronauts will also try to grow rice in space. The experiment symbolizes the attempt to take one of the most traditional elements of Chinese culture to future long-term space missions.
New space race
Later this year, China intends to launch the Chang'e 7 probe towards the south pole of the Moon to study possible areas for installing a future lunar base.
The move puts the country in direct competition with the Americans, who also want to take astronauts back to the Moon with the Artemis program.
When the United States landed on the Moon for the first time, in 1969, China still did not have a structured space program.
Today, according to experts, the country competes on equal terms in the new global space race.
China launches preparatory mission to go to the Moon
Reproduction/TV Globo
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Source: G1

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