【苍南县】China Pride: Astronauts at China’s New Space Station Conduct First Spacewalk

项晓线 2021-08-16 16:40:55

Last month, three astronauts blasted off to become the first crew of the station, where they will remain for three months in China’s longest crewed mission to date.

On July 4, Beijing time, the news of ‘China space station astronauts leaving the cabin for the first time’ flooded Chinese’s screen. After hours of preparations early that morning, Major General Liu Boming floated out of the module, named Tianhe, or Harmony of Heavens, at 8:11 am to begin the challenging spacewalk as the module orbited Earth at an altitude of about 390 kilometers. Senior Colonel Tang Hongbo stayed in the air lock to assist Liu and then also emerged from the spacecraft at 11:02 am.

Wearing the nation's new-generation extravehicular suit, the pair is tasked with using a large robotic arm to conduct several operations including installing equipment outside the spacecraft and moving the panoramic camera. During their spacewalk, Major General Nie Haisheng, commander of the mission, stayed inside the module and assisted in manipulating the robotic arm. Their tasks included elevating a panoramic camera outside the Tianhe core module and testing the station’s robotic arm, which will be used to transfer future modules around the station. The astronauts installed foot stops on the robotic arm and, with its support, carried out other assembly work.

Tiangong’s construction is a significant step in China’s ambitious space programme. China has previously landed a rover on Mars and sent probes to the moon. President Xi Jinping has said the construction of China’s first space station is opening “new horizons” in humanity’s attempts to explore the cosmos.

This was the first of two spacewalks planned for the mission, both expected to last six or seven hours. It was the first time since 2008 that Chinese astronauts have gone outside their spacecraft. The mission has attracted a flurry of discussion online, with a hashtag about the spacewalk garnering 200m views on China’s Twitter-like platform Weibo. One user wrote: “How much I’m moved by each step of achievement is beyond words.”

This is China’s first crewed mission in nearly five years, and a matter of huge prestige as the country marks the 100th anniversary of the ruling Communist party this month. To prepare, the crew underwent more than 6,000 hours of training. Through this mission, the manned space agency will be able to accumulate experience and check the capability, performance and compatibility of systems involved in the space station program. Through the spacewalk, the astronauts verified the reliability and capability of hardware involved in extravehicular operation, demonstrated their adaptability and ability to work with the robotic arm, and examined the performance of their spacesuits. The operation laid a crucial foundation for subsequent spacewalks.

By now, 232 astronauts, mostly American and Russian, have made spacewalks. Their short adventure made China the third nation, after the former Soviet Union and the United States, able to independently conduct a spacewalk. Today’s China, is not to be underestimated. China’s space exploration has already been at the forefront of the world, which marks China's national economic strength, comprehensive national strength and national defense strength The five-stared red flag on China's space station is a beacon for Chinese astronauts to explore the mysteries of the universe. China is always willing to join hands with the world.