Chinese cosmonaut Tang Hongbo noted that in zero gravity, fish seem to completely lose their orientation.
BEIJING, June 27. /TASS correspondent Ivan Kargapoltsev/. The astronauts of the Chinese manned mission Shenzhou-17 conducted experiments on the orbital station related to fish farming in zero gravity. This was told to a TASS correspondent by Chinese cosmonaut Tang Hongbo, who took part in the Shenzhou-12 and Shenzhou-17 missions.
"During the Shenzhou-17 mission, the experiment with fish farming in space made the strongest impression on me. When, after almost six months of flying, I suddenly saw fish frolicking in the water, my heart was filled with joy and delight," he shared.
According to him, the most interesting thing is that in zero gravity conditions, the fish seem to completely lose their orientation. "Not only do they 'can't find the north,' but they even stop distinguishing between top and bottom, floating belly up. This behavior on Earth is typical only for dying individuals. It got me thinking.: What do these little creatures really feel in space? Are they trying to adapt to a completely new and unusual environment for them?" - said the cosmonaut.
Speaking about the terrestrial application of space technologies, Tang Hongbo gave an example of several key developments that exist at the Chinese Tiangong station. First of all, we are talking about a space manipulator. "The station has two manipulators, which can be roughly called a "big hand" and a "small hand" with a length of 10 and 5 m, respectively. They can be combined into a single 15-meter robotic arm, which has not only multiple degrees of freedom, but also a fully functional mode of operation, as well as positioning accuracy up to a centimeter. This system allows astronauts to go into outer space, move station modules and transport payloads. We are convinced that this technology has significant potential for terrestrial applications," he said.
Technologies for astronauts
In addition, according to him, the use of physico-chemical regeneration technologies should be noted. According to Tang Hongbo, the Chinese space station has implemented an atmospheric and water resource recycling system capable of collecting and recycling waste products such as carbon dioxide, fumes, sweat, urine and converting them into purified water for domestic use, as well as producing oxygen by electrolysis of water.
"Additionally, the system at the station allows for multi-stage air purification and continuous monitoring to ensure that the crew is in a clean and healthy environment. The main feature of these technologies is the exceptionally high efficiency of recycling, which is of particular value for life support systems in extreme conditions on Earth. In conditions of critical shortage of resources and reserves that are difficult to replenish, for example, as during deep-sea exploration, underground mining, polar expeditions and other similar scenarios. These technologies are capable of ensuring the life and safety of personnel, which determines their significant potential for large-scale use," the cosmonaut believes.
