BEIJING, Oct. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The three Chinese
astronauts or taikonauts, carried into space on board the
Shenzhou-13 spaceship, entered the core module Tianhe of
China's space station on Saturday,
according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
The trio – Zhai Zhigang (the
commander), Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu – entered Tianhe hours after
the spaceship successfully docked with the core module, becoming
the second crew to be stationed there.
Wang also became the first female taikonaut to work in the space
station and take a spacewalk.
Tasks ahead during Shenzhou-13 mission
During their six months' in-orbit stay, the crew will carry out
a series of tasks as scheduled.
Two to three extravehicular activities (EVAs), also known as
spacewalks, are planned for the mission, which will be completed
via collaboration, Ye told China Media Group (CMG) in an interview
before their launch.
The specific division of work will be arranged and adjusted
depending on the actual situation, Ye added.
Different tasks are set in each EVA for the construction of the
space station, Zhai told CMG.
"We'll have more space science experiments than the Shenzhou-12
crew as we have a longer flight time," said Zhai.
A special task this time is that the crew will remotely control
a spacecraft to dock with the space station, Zhai added.
Tests of key technologies, further verification of life support
technologies and comprehensive performance and compatibility
assessment of all systems will also be conducted.
During the Shenzhou-10 mission in 2013, Wang, along with her
then crew members Nie Haisheng and Zhang Xiaoguang, completed
China's first space teaching task.
During the Shenzhou-13 mission, new lessons can be expected.
"Apart from the tasks, we also hope to do more space science
education, to bring space closer to the general public," said Wang,
which she hoped will help people learn more of space and the
taikonauts' life in space.
China launched the Shenzhou-13
manned spaceship in the early hours of Saturday morning from the
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gobi Desert, after a see-off ceremony
held on the ground Friday evening.
The Shenzhou-13 mission is one of a series of launches to
complete the building of China's
new space station called Tiangong by the end of 2022. Previously,
China successfully launched the
Tianhe core module, two Tianzhou cargo ships and the Shenzhou-12
crewed spaceship to construct the space station.
With the International Space Station set to retire in the coming
years, China's space station will
become the only one in Earth's orbit. The China National Space
Administration has expressed its desire for international
cooperation and non-Chinese astronauts are being trained for future
space station missions.
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-10-16/China-s-Shenzhou-13-crew-enters-space-station-14oFV8ew2qc/index.html
Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVVcwLr30F0