At 23:44 on October 31, my country launched the Shenzhou 21 manned spacecraft using the Long March 2F Yao 21 carrier rocket at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. At present, the spacecraft has entered the predetermined orbit, the astronauts reported that they feel good, and the launch mission was a complete success.
Next, the spacecraft will fly autonomously and dock with the space station using a 3.5-hour rapid autonomous docking method.
The Shenzhou 21 flight crew consists of Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, and Zhang Hongzhang, with Zhang Lu serving as the commander.The three astronauts are space pilots, flight engineers and payload experts, covering the three types of astronauts currently in service in my country.
This mission will also carry 6 space science experimental samples to the Chinese Space Station, including 4 mice. This is the first time that mammalian experimental samples have entered the Chinese Space Station to carry out space science experiments.
Mice are important mammalian model animals for life science research, with about 85% genetic similarity to humans.
Due to their small size, short breeding cycle, and ease of gene editing, mice are suitable objects for conducting research on the spatial physiology, pathology, growth, development, and reproduction of living organisms.It is of great significance to research on human beings' future long-term space survival, reproduction, and health.
It is understood that while in orbit, astronauts and ground researchers will monitor the space behavior of mice through multi-dimensional video images and study the impact of space conditions such as weightlessness and confinement on the mice's behavioral patterns.
In this way, we will master the key core technologies for raising and monitoring small mammals in space, and initially explore the stress response and adaptive changes of mice in the space environment.