Beijing, 23 May (Reporter Wu Yuehui) During the second comprehensive scientific investigation on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in Namco, Xizang, the new technology of tethered aerostat developed by the Institute of Aerospace Information of China Academy of Sciences was officially applied. The tethered aerostat "Jimu-1" reached an altitude of 7,003 meters in the early morning of 23 May, which is a world record of the same type and magnitude of aerostat known worldwide.
According to reports, aerostat refers to an aircraft that is filled with lighter-than-air gas and takes off by atmospheric buoyancy, and stays and flies. Generally, it can be divided into high-altitude balloons, tethered balloons (tethered aerostat) and airships. The tethered aerostat is connected with the ground mooring facilities through mooring lines and is an unpowered aircraft. Airships have power and can stay in the air and fly under remote control or automatic control.
The expedition was carried out by more than 50 expedition members from Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Institute of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Aerospace Information, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, and relevant scientific and technological departments in Xizang, with the aim of further studying the climate and environmental changes of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and even the "Asian Water Tower" and providing decision-making basis for the sustainable development of the plateau. During the lift-off of the aerostat, a variety of instruments synchronously observed various parameters such as atmospheric physics and atmospheric chemistry in Namco Basin. The success of the 7000m test will better study the process and law of water vapor transmission in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
Li Zhaojie, director of the research and development center of aerostat system affiliated to Aerospace Information Research Institute, said that the height of 7,000 meters is a height that the team has never been to before, which is extremely difficult. Strong solar radiation on the plateau, complex electromagnetic environment and complex wind conditions caused by complex topography and landforms put forward high requirements for the materials of aerostat and the performance of some electrical equipment. At the same time, the aerostat is easy to generate static electricity and induced current in the process of taking off and staying in space, which is a big challenge for the reliable application of electronic components.
In order to make better use of the new technology to serve the second Qinghai-Tibet expedition, researchers independently developed three types of tethered aerostats: Jimu No.1, Jimu No.2 and Jimu No.3. The three types of aerostats are from small to large in size and from low to high in altitude, and the system complexity and technical difficulty are gradually increasing. Li Zhaojie introduced: "The control system, power supply system, load cabin and ground anchoring facilities of the above aerostat are mostly independently developed by China."
Zhang Taihua, executive captain of the aerostat of Aerospace Information Research Institute, said: "The ‘ Jimu No.1 ’ It is a plateau experience version with a volume of 2,300 cubic meters. It is the first application of our streamlined aerostat in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It can carry scientific detection instruments for vertical profile and observation in space, which will accumulate technical exploration and application for the subsequent development of aerostat. "
In addition, the "Jimu II" under development is a customized version of the scientific research, specially tailored for the second Qinghai-Tibet scientific research, and the designed altitude is 7000— 7500 meters, will be able to be used in Lulang Station in southeast Tibet, Mount Everest Station in central Tibet, Namco Station, Mustag Station in western Tibet and other stations. The "Jimu-3", which is also under development, is a technological breakthrough. The designed altitude will exceed the height of Mount Everest, and the technical difficulty, altitude and possible achievements of the platform will be breakthrough.