Taikonauts back in core module after smooth spacewalk mission
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TAIKONAUTS Zhai Zhigang and Wang Yaping have completed their extravehicular activities and returned to Tianhe, the core module of China’s space station, the China Manned Space Agency said yesterday.
The two Shenzhou-13 crew members returned to the docking hatch at 1:16am early yesterday. The entire mission went smoothly.
The event was the third extravehicular mission conducted during the construction of the country’s space station and the first by the Shenzhou-13 crew. It also marks the first EVAs in Chinese space history involving a female taikonaut, said the agency, which has declared yesterday’s EVAs a complete success.
The mission further tested the functions of the China-developed new-generation extravehicular spacesuits, the coordination between the taikonauts and the mechanical arm, and the reliability and safety of supporting equipment related to the EVAs, the CMSA noted.
At 4:30pm on Sunday, Zhai and Wang went out of the core module, entered the docking hatch and put on the “Feitian” extravehicular spacesuit, as taikonaut Ye Guangfu stayed inside to assist the operation. At 6:51pm, Zhai opened the hatch and went out of the space station, the second time after his first EVA 13 years ago.
During routine communication with the ground, the three taikonauts’ playful banter during regular check-ins sparked joyful comments on the Internet.
“This is 01, I’m out of the space station, all good,” Zhai reported to the ground. “This is 02, I’m going out of the space station soon, all good,” followed Wang. “This is 03, I'll go out of the space station next time, all good,” added Ye from the cabin. “I’m watching you going out of the space station, all good,” wrote a netizen after hearing the news, imitating the expression.
The EVA involved the installation of some more parts of the robotic arm to ensure better functionality for future tasks. Tang Zixin, supervisor of the robotic arm project, said a connector joining the two parts of the arm was installed this time. “The two parts of the arm can stretch 15 meters in width for functioning in a large area.”
The connected mechanical arms will be able to transfer a heavier load for a larger area range.
The devices will help realize the connection of the big arm on the core module Tianhe and the small arm on the lab module Wentian, which is expected to be launched in 2022 to dock with Tianhe. The combined mechanical arm can cover three modules of the space station, inspecting their surface at any time, and can carry out difficult and diverse missions, Gao said.
Zhu Guangchen, deputy chief designer of the space station from the China Academy of Space Technology, said the space station was adjusted for this mission, including its flying posture and the direction of the solar panel and communication antenna. “The operation is precise,” Zhu said.
In addition, Wang recorded Zhai’s operation with a camera on her helmet during the EVA.
“We are gaining more experience in such operations, building up a great foundation for the future,” said Huang Weifen, chief designer of the Astronaut Center of China, after the mission.
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