Spacecraft controllers aim for the heights

Hu Guolin, head of controllers in charge of long-term spacecraft operations, at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center.

Ultimate goal

To further improve their efficiency and capabilities, the controllers continue to study and use cutting-edge technologies such as cloud computing and artificial intelligence, according to Hu.

"I am sure that AI technology has great potential in spacecraft control — for example, in the assignment of personnel duties and orbital positioning," he said.

He added that all the efforts have one ultimate goal, which is to guarantee the astronauts' safety and the long-term, smooth operation of the space station.

"Our task is to make the astronauts feel safe and comfortable, and let them know that they have our full support and that of the entire nation so they can do their jobs in a happy mood," he said. He noted that he and his colleagues often meet the astronauts in person, sometimes formally and sometimes informally.

"We all work inside the Beijing Aerospace City compound. Our office building and some of our residences are close to the Astronaut Center of China, so we often run into the astronauts," Hu said.

"Sometimes, when we go jogging before or after work, we find some astronauts running beside us. We also take part in preflight workshops and ground simulations with them. There are discussions and debates between us, and even though the astronauts may not remember our names, we know that they trust us and that we are all striving for the same goal."

'Loud and clear'

For Yuan Xudong, head of the center's communication engineers, his team's most important duty is to ensure that the astronauts are always "online". He and his engineers are in charge of establishing and maintaining communications between the center and spacecraft.

"The more reliable our communications system is, the smoother the link between our controllers and the astronauts is," he said.

"It is our responsibility to make the voices of the astronauts and controllers loud and clear, and that they can be heard by all posts throughout the ground control network."

In addition to the routine work, Yuan's team now has a new task. The members are required to provide a video link between the astronauts and tens of millions of school students in China for the Tiangong Class science lectures.

Launched in December 2021, the Tiangong Class is China's first extraterrestrial lecture series. It aims to popularize space science and inspire young people to pursue their science and space dreams. Every flight crew since the Shenzhou XIII mission has delivered one or two lectures during their stay in orbit.

"I took part in the preparations for China's first space-based science lecture, hosted by the Shenzhou X mission crew in June 2013. Compared with that time, we now have more knowledge and experience in ground-to-spacecraft communications and better land- and space-based infrastructure," he said.

Each time a Tiangong Class lecture takes place, schools across the country arrange for their students to watch. Sometimes, the students are allowed to repeat the experiments shown in the lecture.

After one recent lecture, Yuan was invited by his son's classmates — all primary school students — to share some interesting stories behind the lecture and some information about spacecraft communications.

"Childhood and youth are always filled with curiosity about the world and the universe. These lectures will plant the seed of science in the students, which will wait to blossom and bear fruit," he said.

"Every time I realize that through our work, more boys and girls can experience the wonder and magic of outer space, I am filled with a sense of honor and mission."

Contact the writer at zhaolei@chinadaily.com.cn