A pair of astronauts conducted Tiangong's 16th-ever EVA on July 3.

A Shenzhou 18 astronaut conducts a spacewalk outside China's Tiangong space station on July 3, 2024. (Image credit: CCTV)

Two Chinese astronauts continued installing space debris protection outside the nation's Tiangong space station this week.

Ye Guangfu and Li Cong, two members of the three-person Shenzhou 18 mission, spent about 6.5 hours working outside Tiangong on Wednesday (July 3). Li Guangsu assisted the expedition from inside Tiangong, operating the station's robotic arm.

The main task was installing space debris protection outside the orbiting laboratory. After this, Li Cong mounted the robotic arm and conducted an extravehicular inspection of the space station's facilities through his helmet camera.

 

The pair returned to Tiangong via the extravehicular activity (EVA) hatch of the Wentian science module.

"The main purpose of the spacewalk this time is to install protection devices for extravehicular equipment, mainly cables and pipelines, so as to improve the space station's ability to operate safely and steadily over the long term," Liu Ming, an engineer with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, told state broadcaster CCTV.

The previous Shenzhou 18 spacewalk in late May saw Ye and Li Guangsu install space debris protection on the outside of the Mengtian experiment module. That EVA set a national record of about 8.5 hours working outside Tiangong.

 

"The Chinese space station is very beautiful. Whenever the robotic arm moves to the highest point, I can't help taking more glances at the space station despite the glaring sunlight. I really feel the greatness of the project from my heart, and I applaud all the space professionals and our motherland," Li Cong said outside Tiangong.

China's human spaceflight agency statedon Thursday (July 4) — the third anniversary of the first-ever Tiangong EVA, conducted by the Shenzhou 12 crew — that 16 spacewalks have now taken place outside the space station, with a total of 17 different astronauts involved. The Shenzhou 15 mission crew (November 2022-June 2023) conducted the most EVAs of any mission, with four. 

Quelle: SC

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Shenzhou-18 taikonauts complete second spacewalk

This screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on July 3, 2024 shows Shenzhou-18 astronaut Li Cong going out for extravehicular activities. The Shenzhou-18 taikonauts on board China's orbiting space station completed their second spacewalk at 10:51 p.m. (Beijing Time) on Wednesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency. (Xinhua/Guo Zhongzheng)

 

The Shenzhou-18 taikonauts on board China's orbiting space station completed their second spacewalk at 10:51 p.m. (Beijing Time) on Wednesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu worked for about 6.5 hours to complete multiple tasks, with Li Guangsu remaining inside the space station.

With the assistance of the space station's robotic arm and researchers on Earth, they installed space debris protection devices for the pipelines, cables and key equipment outside the Tiangong space station, and conducted an extravehicular inspection.

Ye Guangfu and Li Cong, who were assigned the spacewalk duty, have since returned safely to the Wentian lab module.

The trio have completed one third of their space journey and are scheduled to carry out a large amount of in-orbit scientific experiments and technological tests, the agency said. ■

This screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on July 3, 2024 shows Shenzhou-18 astronauts preparing to go out for extravehicular activities. The Shenzhou-18 taikonauts on board China's orbiting space station completed their second spacewalk at 10:51 p.m. (Beijing Time) on Wednesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency. (Xinhua/Guo Zhongzheng)

This screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on July 3, 2024 shows Shenzhou-18 astronauts Li Cong (above) and Ye Guangfu performing extravehicular activities. The Shenzhou-18 taikonauts on board China's orbiting space station completed their second spacewalk at 10:51 p.m. (Beijing Time) on Wednesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency. (Xinhua/Guo Zhongzheng)

This screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on July 3, 2024 shows Shenzhou-18 astronaut Li Cong going out for extravehicular activities. The Shenzhou-18 taikonauts on board China's orbiting space station completed their second spacewalk at 10:51 p.m. (Beijing Time) on Wednesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency. (Xinhua/Guo Zhongzheng)

This screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on July 3, 2024 shows Shenzhou-18 astronaut Li Cong performing extravehicular activities. The Shenzhou-18 taikonauts on board China's orbiting space station completed their second spacewalk at 10:51 p.m. (Beijing Time) on Wednesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency. (Xinhua/Guo Zhongzheng)

This screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on July 3, 2024 shows Shenzhou-18 astronaut Li Cong performing extravehicular activities. The Shenzhou-18 taikonauts on board China's orbiting space station completed their second spacewalk at 10:51 p.m. (Beijing Time) on Wednesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency. (Xinhua/Guo Zhongzheng)

This screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on July 3, 2024 shows Shenzhou-18 astronaut Li Guangsu assisting with extravehicular activities. The Shenzhou-18 taikonauts on board China's orbiting space station completed their second spacewalk at 10:51 p.m. (Beijing Time) on Wednesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency. (Xinhua/Guo Zhongzheng)

This screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on July 3, 2024 shows Shenzhou-18 astronaut Ye Guangfu performing extravehicular activities. The Shenzhou-18 taikonauts on board China's orbiting space station completed their second spacewalk at 10:51 p.m. (Beijing Time) on Wednesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency. (Xinhua/Guo Zhongzheng)

Quelle: Xinhua

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Update: 26.07.2024

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Chinese astronauts simulate a debris-strike emergency on the Tiangong space station

The drill simulated a space station decompression event after a debris hit.

China's Shenzhou 18 mission staged an emergency drill recently to boost preparedness aboard the country's space station. 

Shenzhou 18 commander Ye Guangfu and crewmates Li Cong and Li Guangsu conducted the drill in mid-July to practice procedures for the case of a decompression event aboard the Tiangong space station.

The crew worked in collaboration with the ground team in Beijing, simulating the whole process of emergency response to a simulated scenario of space debrisstriking Tiangong and causing decompression.

After an alarm was raised, each crewmember quickly put on masks linked to air supplies. They then began to seek the source of the leak, successfully plugging it with the support of engineers back on Earth.

The Shenzhou 18 crew launched to Tiangong in late April. Combating the threat of space debris has been a key theme of the mission. The trio have so far embarked on a pair of spacewalks to install shielding to protect Tiangong from space debris and inspect the outside of the station. 

The first of these extravehicular activities, in May, set a national spacewalk duration record of around 8.5 hours. 

The Shenzhou 18 astronauts have also completed a range of other tasks, including replacing experimental samples and undergoing mental assessments. 

The trio recently completed research for an "In-orbit Emotion Recognition and Evaluation of Astronauts,"  according to CCTV+. This involved questionnaires on emotional states and will be used to help researchers study and assess the impact of long-term space missions on astronauts' mental health.

The Shenzhou 18 mission will last around six months. The crew will then welcome the Shenzhou 19 astronauts aboard Tiangong and hand over control of the station. China completed the three-module Tiangong space station in 2022 and aims to keep the orbital outpost permanently occupied for at least a decade.

Quelle: SC