43 minutes agoFirst Chinese Astronaut Ends Walking in Space
Periskopi(5 years ago)
(5 years ago)Wang Yaping has become the first Chinese woman to take a space walk as part of a six-month mission at the country's space station. Wang and her astronaut friend Zhao Jagang left the station's main module Sunday evening, spending more than six hours outdoors installing equipment [...]
Wang and her astronaut friend Zhao Jagang left the station's main module Sunday evening, spending more than six hours out installing equipment and conducting tests along with the station's robot service arm, according to China-led space agency.
The third member of the crew, Ye Guangfu, helped from within the station, the agency said on its website.
Wang, 41, and Zwai, 55, had both traveled to the now retired China experimental space stations, and Zai took China's first space walk 13 years ago.
The three are the second crew at the permanent station, and the mission that began with their arrival on October 16th is scheduled to be the longest period of space time for Chinese astronauts.
The station's Tianhe module will be linked next year to two other sections called Mengtian and Wentian. The completed station will weigh around 66 tonnes -- much smaller than the International Space Station, which launched its first module in 1998 and weighs about 450 tonnes, the AP reports, broadcast Klakosova.tv.
Three spatial walks are scheduled to install equipment in preparation for the station's expansion, while the crew will also assess living conditions in Tianhe module and conduct experiments in space medicine and other areas.
China's military-led space programme plans to send numerous crews to the station over the next two years to make it fully operational, Klankosova broadcasts.tv.
