Picture credit score: China Nationwide Area Administration (CNSA)/China Central Tv (CCTV)
The primary extravehicular exercise of the Shenzhou-17 mission was accomplished on December 21, spacewalks by Hongbo Tang, commander and Shengjie Tang that lasted almost 7.5 hours exterior the Wentian Laboratory Module of China’s area station.
Astronaut Xinlin Jiang assisted the twosome from contained in the Tianhe Core Module.
The astronauts accomplished a set of duties, together with a photo voltaic panel restore check on the Tianhe Core Module in line with the China Nationwide Area Administration.
Sooner or later, the Shenzhou-17 crew will carry out deliberate area science experiments, technical exams, spacewalks and the set up of extravehicular payloads to the orbiting outpost.
Astronaut Xinlin Jiang assisted the spacewalking duo from contained in the Tianhe Core Module.
Picture credit score: China Nationwide Area Administration (CNSA)/China Central Tv (CCTV)/Inside Outer Area screengrab
Restore duties
Tang, in an extravehicular spacesuit with crimson marks, opened the airlock hatch and boarded a robotic arm, transitioned to a delegated level on the core module photo voltaic wing the place he carried out restore duties. Jiang labored within the core module, primarily accountable for working the robotic arm.
Picture credit score: China Nationwide Area Administration (CNSA)/China Central Tv (CCTV)/Inside Outer Area screengrab
“The restore work requires a really excessive degree of precision, so it calls for excessive precision in astronauts’ operation and proficiency of their use of instruments. In addition they needed to affirm the coordination between floor and area, and confirm the accuracy of the place,” mentioned Wang Yanlei, director of the astronaut choice and coaching division of the China Astronaut Analysis and Coaching Heart.
“After they accomplished the operation, additionally they needed to choose whether or not the restore was as much as the expectations,” Wang added. “So, this affirmation course of concerned many extra steps and hyperlinks.”
Photo voltaic panel restore experiment.
Picture credit score: China Nationwide Area Administration (CNSA)/China Central Tv (CCTV)/Inside Outer Area screengrab
Injury to photo voltaic wings
As reported by China Central Tv (CCTV), a preliminary verify discovered that the photo voltaic wings of the area station had been hit by tiny particles in area many instances, inflicting minor injury.
Dong Nengli, deputy chief designer of China’s manned area program, instructed CCTV:
“Upkeep is split into two classes, one is designed upkeep, and the opposite is non-designed upkeep. This time they carried out upkeep in non-design state. For the earlier extravehicular actions, the key duties for astronauts had been to put in and verify,” mentioned Dong.
Picture credit score: China Nationwide Area Administration (CNSA)/China Central Tv (CCTV)/Inside Outer Area screengrab
“This spherical of extravehicular actions on Thursday we name experimental servicing. However the servicing course of was unsure to some extent. The so-called uncertainty lies in that the objects we restore and a few procedures of upkeep have to be designed, verified and operated in line with the precise targets. However the upkeep work is a fundamental capability for our area station to maintain long-term secure operation, so we should grasp this capability,” Dong mentioned.
Constant and coherent
Through the spacewalking actions, the astronauts noticed and photographed the main points of the looks of the photo voltaic wing entrance. As a result of the operation website is situated between the core module and the photo voltaic wing, it is extremely difficult to the astronauts to carry out their duties, notes CCTV.
“This time the astronauts operated on one of many photo voltaic wings. It’s versatile, to a sure extent, and in addition very skinny, which limits the area of operation to sure diploma. As soon as our astronaut is in place, he has to take about 20 to 30 actions to carry out the operation, that are all very detailed and compact,” added Dong.
China area station is captured on this picture taken by the departing Shenzhou-16 crew.
Picture credit score: CMS
“The astronaut additionally must function within the shadow space. So we should affirm that each motion is carried out in the appropriate place, with none error. Second, we have to ensure that all of the actions should be constant and coherent to keep away from any errors. Third, we’d like to ensure whether or not the entire operation is finished exactly. All these are the variations of the extravehicular process this time from earlier actions,” Dong mentioned.
China launched the Shenzhou-17 crewed mission on October 26 for an area station mission set to final about six months.
For movies spotlighting the Shenzhou-17 spacewalk, go to:
