Chinese astronauts working on setting up the Tiangong space station, returned after six months.
The latest crew of China’s space mission returned after spending six months in space. China announced that it will send three astronauts to space in June this year. The Shenzhou -14 crew is expected to spend six months on the space station, Tiangong, that is being constructed by China. The crew members are to work on adding two modules to the space station. China had launched its first astronaut into space in 2003. The country had also sent robot rovers to the moon and Mars in an ambitious space program.
The possibility of sending a crew of astounds to the moon soon also exists. Tiangong means heavenly Palace in Chinese. It was launched amid the pandemic, on 21 April 2021. The space station is in the construction stage and is expected to be fully completed by this year. The space station is situated in a low orbit of the earth. It is manufactured by China National Space Administration.
The two modules, Wentian and Mengtian are set to be launched in July and October respectively, as per the director of the China Manned Space Engineering Office, Mr. Hao Chun. By the end of the Shenzhou 14 mission, a three-member crew will be launched in the Shenzhou 15 mission, for six months.
The Landing
The Shenzhou 13 crew landed in the inner Mongolia, in the Gobi Desert. The crew were helped out by a team of rescue workers and received a quick medical check-up. Wang Yamin, an astronaut, part of the crew, became the first Chinese woman to conduct a spacewalk. The other
crew members included crewmate Ye Guangfu and commander Zhai Zhigang. The crew members also gave lessons in physics to high school students.
“I am feeling very good, reporting to the motherland and the people, we’ve completed our mission.” commander Zhai told the media before he was transferred for medical care “I have landed safely; the return module is standing straight and I’m feeling fine,” he added.
Published by : Gargi Sharma
Edited by : Aaradhana Singh
