BEIJING: The taikonauts from Shenzhou-14 began their first spacewalk, or extravehicular activity (EVA), at 6:26 p.m. Beijing Time (1026 GMT) on Thursday, which is expected to last about seven hours.
Taikonaut Chen Dong opened the airlock cabin of the Wentian lab module of the China Space Station. Chen and Liu Yang got out of the space station to perform tasks while Cai Xuzhe provides support in the core module.
They will install additional pumps and raise the omnidirectional camera on the lab module.
This long and demanding EVA has come to be a carefully planned process.
Wu Bing, the lead designer of China Space Station with China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) ran through a regular EVA process for taikonauts. “Before the taikonauts head out, they will first pass through the airlock cabin. They need to check their equipment and space suits, relieve the pressure inside the airlock cabin, and go through the pre-oxygenation process.”
The second part, or the main operation out in space includes various activities. “It could entail crawling on the surface of spacecraft, going on and off the robotic arms, and installing and operating equipment in space,” Wu said.
Then on their way back, they must “make sure doors are sealed, and the airlock cabin is re-pressurized.” They also need to “take off their spacesuits properly.”
A spacewalk usually takes 8 hours. “It’s a team-effort that requires coordination between all taikonauts, the ground team and the spacecraft,” Wu said.
Shenzhou-14 crew had their first spacewalk by way of Wentian lab module’s airlock cabin. Wentian joined the space station assembly this July. Experts told CGTN that Wentian’s airlock cabin accommodates taikonauts’ EVA process both inside and out. And taikonauts would first see the planet Earth when heading out of the space station.
“When taikonauts first leave the space station, there could be a brief spell of disorientation,” Wu said. “With the exit hatch facing the Earth, the taikonauts can position themselves very clearly. And smoothly take the next step.”
–The Daily Mail-CGTN news exhange item
