On Wednesday, national media said that Chinese astronauts on the Tiangong space station have done an eight hour spacewalk protecting the station from fragments of space debris. Yesterday, Astronauts Jing Haipeng and Zhu Yangzhu surpassed the previous record of how long a Chinese astronaut had been outside his spaceship by completing an extravehicular activity (EVA). According to South China Morning Post’s report, this involved adding extra equipment and doing some maintenance work so as to increase its resistance to impacts caused by orbital debris.
“This is a major milestone for our manned program because it shows we can do EVA for a long time,” said China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) in their press release.
At 8:30 am local time the EVA exercise started and ended at 4:20pm making it the longest ever since, China sent its first man into space. Therefore, Chinese astronauts installed defensive mechanisms such as a protective shield against trash.
“With increasing amounts of space junk, it is more vital than ever that we protect the space station from it,” noted CMSA. “Safety as well as sustainability are extremely important aspects of any activities carried out after commencement.”
China has begun to build its space program around Tiangong space station. Assembling began in 2021 with full operation expected by 2023. It will be used primarily for scientific research and international collaboration.
“The completion of this flight is something we should all be proud of” stated astronaut Jing Haipeng who has flown to orbit multiple times before. “We have reached new heights in our program thanks to this successful mission which ensures safety and functionality of TIANGONG,” added Jing.
“It was through teamwork and meticulous planning that we accomplish every step accurately,” said Yangzhu Zhu who made his first flight beyond earth’s atmosphere.“ We are now more confident on how to perform complicated maneuvers in outer space” he added.
The CMSA plans more spacewalks for the present crew on Tiangong to ensure it is maintained and upgraded. They claim that these activities are essential for the long-term existence of a space station threatened by increasing numbers of debris.
This victorious spacewalk is considered as one of China’s successes in their quest to become a serious power in space exploration. The Tiangong space station will be central to scientific discovery and international cooperation in outer space.
