bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

additionalInfoBoxes

quizIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

SCMP Reporter

When astronauts Zhai Zhigang  and Liu Boming  get into their spacesuits and drift side by side in the orbit module, it will be hard to tell one from the other.
But there will be one small difference - the chest console on Colonel Zhai's Chinese-made Feitian spacesuit will have a slightly brighter display than the monitor on Colonel  Liu's Russian Orlan suit.
The Chinese suit's OLED, or organic light-emitting diode, should be slightly brighter in space than the Russian outfit's plain  LED, a technology that also illuminates most computer displays.
But apart from the technical difference, the two  spacesuits used on the Shenzhou VII mission are more or less the same.
The similarities include - but are not limited to - the size, location and function of the chest console, the waist console, the umbilical hose and the life-support backpack.
Even the tethers that prevent spacewalkers from drifting away from the craft are tied in the same place -  25mm below the right hip.
The Feitian's faceplate is said to be larger than the Orlan's, but a space-industry source said the difference would only be apparent from trying on the suits.
The source said the resemblance reflected very close collaboration between China and Russia in space science and technology. The mainland space authorities said Russian experts had provided help throughout the mission.
'But assistance always comes with a price, and few single items are more expensive than the  spacesuit,' the source said.
'The official cost [of the Chinese suit] is 30 million yuan [HK$34.2 million], but it does not include the intellectual-property transfer. That is why there are different estimates ranging from 30 million to 120 million yuan.
'We have paid to achieve a steep learning curve in the manned space programme.'
Expensive as they are, both suits will have to be dumped in space when the mission is over because the re-entry capsule is so cramped that even a spent life-support backpack is not a high re-entry priority.
But the astronauts will bring back the two pairs of gloves, which, as basic as they look, are testament to the talent, hard work and pride of mainland space scientists.
Liu Xiangyang, director of the spacesuit research department of the China Astronaut Centre in Beijing, told China International Radio that the Chinese spacesuit had surpassed the Russian version in several areas, one being in the gloves. 'We make better knuckles,' Dr Liu said.
Astronauts 'walk' in space mainly with their hands and they have to complete all kinds of sophisticated tasks with their arms.
'The glove must be very responsive and flexible, but a certain thickness must be maintained at the same time to ensure they are airtight and insulated. It is contradictory in terms of material science and engineering.'
Dr Liu said researchers conducted countless experiments before coming up with gloves that were both secure and flexible.
'The Chinese  spacesuit is one of the most flexible in the world, and the astronaut can easily handle objects the size of a matchbox,' he said.
The Feitian can also collect more information about the environment and transfer data faster.
But Dr Liu admitted that the Chinese suit was still far behind the world's best in one major area.
'The biggest difference between the Chinese and Russian spacesuits is that our system only lasts four hours, while theirs goes for more than eight hours,' he said.
Orlan spacesuits have been used in hundreds of spacewalks by dozens of flight crews, including European and US astronauts. The space-activities count for the Feitian suit, so far,  is zero.



Subtle differences between Chinese, Russian spacesuits