Types and differences of our country’s spaceships
There are mainly three categories. The differences are as follows:
1. Manned spacecraft: Shenzhou
It is a "passenger" spacecraft. There are two main considerations in choosing this name: First, "ship" is also called "zhou" in Chinese, and using "Shenzhou" to name a spaceship that travels in the mysterious space is both vivid and appropriate; second, "Shenzhou" is a homophone for "Shenzhou". "Earth" gets "Shenzhou", which is a double entendre, implying China's take-off.
In 1999, my country launched the Shenzhou-1 unmanned spacecraft at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. In 2003, Yang Liwei entered space for the first time on the Shenzhou-5 spacecraft. On September 17, 2021, the Shenzhou-12 returned successfully. The Shenzhou series spacecraft has carried out 7 manned space missions, carrying 17 passengers.
2. Cargo spacecraft: Tianzhou
It is a "cargo" spacecraft that can support the long-term stay of astronauts on the space station and the supply of space scientific experiments. Therefore, it is also a "cargo" spacecraft. There is a metaphor for "delivery boy".
On April 20, 2017, my country's first independently developed cargo spacecraft "Tianzhou-1" cargo spacecraft was launched from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China; on September 20, 2021, Tianzhou-3 The number has been successfully launched. "While the troops and horses are not moving, food and grass go first." I believe that Shenzhou 13 will carry people aboard again soon.
3. Space laboratory or space station components: Tiangong
It is China’s space laboratory, equivalent to our space base. The Chinese space station is named "Tiangong" and has distinctive Chinese characteristics. "Tiangong" or "Celestial Palace" is the place where gods live, and it is also the Chinese nation's popular name for unknown space. For example, Sun Wukong in "Journey to the West" made a fuss in the Heavenly Palace.
The overall name of China’s manned space station and ***5 names of each module and cargo spacecraft, among which the manned space station is named "Tiangong", the core module is named "Tianhe", and the experimental module I is named For "Wentian", the experimental module II was named "Mengtian", and the cargo spacecraft was named "Tianzhou", with their codenames being TG, TH, WT, XT and TZ respectively.
On September 21, 1992, the Chinese government decided to implement the manned space project. After the technical verification stage of "Tiangong 1" and "Tiangong 2", China's Tiangong Space Station will be completed at the end of 2022. rail construction. Time is tight and the mission is heavy. Recently, Shenzhou 12 has just returned, and Tianzhou 3 has taken off.