Engineers help displant "landmines" in manned spacecraft
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-10-14 16:35

Other than technical support, spacecraft engineers might risk their next generation to try out space vessels for astronauts.

Radiation is the biggest threat inside a capsule, according to Shen Chaoyang, an engineer for China's Shenzhou-6 spaceship. "I've got married and have a child. My colleague is going to have a baby. So I do more inside work in the capsule."

First users of the space vehicle, engineers are supposed to find faults and give advice on improvements. Although they double-wear radiation-proof suits, but still feel uncomfortable after long hours of work inside the capsule.

One special talent engineers must have is imagination, to anticipate any possible errors and inconveniences that may emerge in space. "We just regard our job as that of 'landmine removers'", said Shen a team leader.

Shen, 27, is 1.7 meters tall, the average height of Chinese taikonauts. He became a craft engineer with his expertise on power supply and cable networking.

Shen and his peer Hou Xiangyang, 29, and other colleagues are the first to board the capsule, to check the layout of apparatus and buttons and the design of hand-operated devices to see if they would pose any threat to the safety of taikonauts.

We do whatever taikonauts will do in space, Shen said. They simulate taikonauts' activities in space, like giving orders to systems aboard, mimicking their daily life and experiments.

"I was pretty nervous, and was afraid of damaging cables on the floor in every single step," Shen recalled his first-time experience when he entered the craft, "It's a bit depressing to look at clusters of sprawling pipes, cables and meters."

Engineers test the capsule, which in turn pose challenges to themselves. One challenge is to stay hand-tied in the cabin during a break that could last half an hour before they are allowed to input a second programming command.

"I touched unintentionally an apparatus, and was harshly criticized later on. The director warned that you could not touch anything without permission," Hou, a machinery expert, said.

Engineers work inside the capsule "plainclothes", not wearing heat and noise-free spacesuits but in ordinary jumpers. They could stay inside for maximum five hours without a break out. "We are unable to get out in the middle of work, and so we don't eat or drink before work," Hou said.

When working with taikonauts in the cabin, engineers need to explain and illustrate, either standing or kneeling on the floor because the seats inside are only available for taikonauts who are in their space suits. "We almost collapsed every time we got out," Hou recalled.

Hours before the Shenzhou-6 vessel blast off, engineers gave it a thorough last check in the capsule, and signed a confirmation to endorse the boarding of taikonauts.

The Shenzhou-6 craft is on China's first multi-manned, multi-day space mission. It was launched Wednesday morning and will return a few days later.

According to Shen, the 600 units of equipment in the spacecraft are connected with cables 30 kilometers in total length and have 50,000 contacts.

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