Opening the astronauts' shoe cabinet: How much do you know about the shoes they use on missions?

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Do you know how many types of shoes astronauts have? In this article, we will show you how many types of shoes astronauts have!

Astronauts travel in space for up to half a year, so comfortable shoes are particularly important. Everyone must be very familiar with the shoes used by astronauts in the cabin , after all, their "appearance rate" is really high.

Astronauts appear in cabin shoes

So, what’s so special about this shoe?

Cabin shoes

In terms of color matching, the shoes used in the cabin adopt a combination of blue and black, reflecting the elements of fashion and technology, while matching the blue of the work clothes in the cabin to achieve a sense of visual harmony.

The in-cabin shoes have made the greatest possible use of relevant advanced technologies and achievements based on ergonomics, combining technologies such as three-dimensional foot scanning technology, plantar pressure analysis, and one-piece weaving, and have carefully and comprehensively considered design influencing factors including the special environment of the space station, human characteristics, and exercise needs.

Astronauts work in cabin shoes

The materials of cabin shoes are mainly thermoplastic materials and blended knitted materials, which are soft, light, environmentally friendly, anti-static, breathable and elastic. Among them, the upper of the cabin shoes adopts a "fish rib"-style wavy structure, which can not only ensure the flexibility and protection of the foot movements, but also buffer the collisions caused by astronauts' movements. The support structure design of the front and rear ends of the cabin shoes is full, which is not only more comfortable to wear, but also more three-dimensional. This design also ensures the safety of astronauts' feet when they are moving in a weightless environment.

The shoes used in the cabin are designed to be cross-size, which not only covers the foot sizes of multiple male and female astronauts, but also can match the changes in the plantar morphology of astronauts in various working environments.

Astronauts wearing cabin shoes undergo TVOC (total volatile organic compounds) testing

I wonder if you have noticed that there is a romantic **"little thought" hidden on the soles of the shoes used in the cabin - "Reaching the Moon in the Ninth Heaven". **

The hollow design of the entire sole transforms the seal script of "Nine Days to Reach the Moon" into an artistic design of Chinese characters. The "stars" surrounding its outer circle demonstrate the lofty ambition of "daring to reach for the moon in the nine heavens and dare to catch turtles in the five oceans".

The "Nine Days Reaching the Moon" design on the sole

In addition to the shoes for the cabin, the astronauts have six other types of shoes in their "shoe cabinet" during the mission, including: protective boots for the cabin space suit worn at the departure ceremony , sports shoes for daily exercise in the cabin , space bike lock shoes, penguin suit shoes worn with penguin suits , warm boots used as needed , and landing shoes placed in the return capsule . **These six types of shoes and the cabin shoes together constitute the "beautiful outfit" of the astronauts during the mission.

Astronauts wearing protective boots for their space suits during the departure ceremony

Astronauts exercising in sneakers

Astronauts exercise in space bike lock shoes

Astronauts work in penguin suits and penguin shoes

Warm boots

Astronauts wear landing shoes for desert survival training

Now, do you know more about astronauts' mission shoes? At present, the Shenzhou 14 astronauts have been on a "business trip" for two months. I believe that with the help of these mission shoes, their work and life in the "space home" will be more comfortable and smooth.

Source: China Aerospace Manned Space Engineering Official WeChat Account

Editor/Yang Sishuang

Review/Yang Jie

Producer/Xu Chunmei