The astronaut trio – Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie – conducted the second spacewalk of their mission outside the orbiting space station of the Chinese mainland on Thursday, working for about 6.5 hours and wrapping up at 9:29 p.m. Beijing Time.
During the 6.5-hour spacewalk, assisted by the robotic arm of the station and by mission control on Earth, the two spacewalkers installed a debris protection device and carried out inspection and maintenance of external equipment. They also fitted new foot restraint adapters and interface adapters on the extravehicular platform, a setup that promises to cut about 40 minutes off future spacewalks.
Back inside the station, the Shenzhou-20 crew is pressing ahead with a suite of cutting-edge experiments. From space life sciences to microgravity fundamental physics, space materials science and space medicine, the team is collecting data that could reshape our understanding of how biology and materials behave in orbit.
The CMSA said that every spacewalk brings new insights and that the installation of these adapters will be a game changer for future missions, making each EVA more efficient and expanding low Earth orbit capabilities.
Next up, the crew will focus on advanced aerospace technology tests designed to support long term human presence in space. As the space station of the Chinese mainland continues to take shape, Shenzhou-20 is paving the way for international collaboration and fresh insights into life beyond our planet.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
