Wearing AR glasses to assemble the Chinese space station, super cool

Not long ago, several students from Tsinghua University took photos of the Chinese space station passing the moon on the school playground.

In the camera, the space station 400 kilometers above the ground is just a small dot. In fact, its basic configuration is a three-cabin T-shaped configuration, with the three cabins being the Tianhe core cabin, the Wentian laboratory cabin and the Mengtian laboratory cabin.

Such a complex project requires innovation in assembly technology. In the CCTV integrated media program "Two Sessions You and Me", CCTV News "Relativity" reporter Zhuang Shengchun experienced the "black technology" of assembling the space station↓

What high-tech features are there in the final assembly space station?

AR glasses can help

This is a picture of the ground joint test of the three modules of the Chinese space station. The photo was taken at the Tianjin base of the Fifth Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology. It is mainly responsible for the final assembly, testing and experimentation of super-large spacecraft such as the Chinese space station. The Tianhe core module and the Wentian experimental module were both assembled here.

Cables are part of the difficulty of final assembly, and AR glasses can reduce the difficulty of assembly engineers. After reporter Zhuang Shengchun put on AR glasses, he saw the scene "virtual fusion". In front of him, the cable lines of the Tianhe core module appeared one by one.

When working, the assembly engineer only needs to install the physical cable in place according to the position of the "virtual cable". The original "closed-book exam" has become an "open-book exam", reducing the possibility of errors.

Average age: 31.4 years

The youngest team completed the most difficult task

The structure of China's space station is complex. The Tianhe core module alone has more than 1,000 cables and nearly 500 pipelines, making assembly unprecedentedly difficult. However, the average age of the team that completed such a difficult assembly task was only 31.4 years old, and 90% of the team members were born after 1990.

Wang Pengfei, deputy chief engineer of the General Assembly and Environmental Engineering Department of the Fifth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, said that the longest cable of the Tianhe core module is nearly 100 meters long. At that time, he was thinking about how to assemble it every day, and even thinking about the problems encountered during work during the day when he was sleeping.

Wang Pengfei: When installing large equipment in the cabin, the space inside was too small for the robotic arm to fit in, which was very troublesome for us. One time, when I was sleeping, I simulated the whole assembly process in my dream, just like watching a movie. It was very magical. I woke up suddenly that day and remembered everything.

After waking up, Wang Pengfei came to the unit and told his team members about the "flash of inspiration" in his dream. It was the collaborative efforts of the team members and the flashes of inspiration that ultimately enabled the smooth assembly of the Chinese space station.

Talking about his expectations for the future, Wang Pengfei said that his dream is "to see China's space station and the lunar space station operate stably together in space."

In the episode "You, Me and Him at the Two Sessions", Hong Xianghua, a professor at the Central Party School (National School of Administration), said that for innovative talents to stand out, more young talents should be able to take the lead and rush to the front line of scientific research . Yang Yu, a special commentator for CCTV, also said that innovative talents can take the initiative to play their strengths in a team with an "innovation culture".

Source: CCTV News WeChat Official Account (ID: cctvnewscenter)

Executive Producer: Qian Wei and Wang Shanshan

Producer: Zhang Ou

Producer: Zhuang Shengchun, Wang Jie

Reporter: Zhuang Shengchun, Sun Qiang, Chen Qingbin, Wang Shuo

Editor-in-Chief: Shang Xiaoyu and Zhang Zongyao

Director: Tang Wenxin, Wang Hongchun, Shan Chuyu, Yang Jier, Wu Tong

Director: Hou Boliang The Nutcracker

Technology丨Xia Wen and Niu Yongyi

Video丨Yang Qinghua Junhao Zhang Ying Qiao Ningxiang

Photography: Chen Yizhe, Liu Shuo, Yang Guang, Li Qiang

Visual丨Yu Jiang, Wang Shaohua, Wang Jian, Liu Yuqi