For the first time, two astronauts have labored outside of China’s space station, finishing solely the second spacewalk within the historical past of the nation’s space program.Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo started the six-hour and 46-minute extravehicular exercise (EVA) on Saturday (July 3) at 8:11 p.m. EDT (0011 GMT or 8:11 a.m. Beijing Time on July 4). Liu was first to exit the space station’s Tianhe (“Harmony of the Heavens”) core module, adopted by Tang about three hours later.Wearing upgraded Chinese Feitian spacesuits, the 2 Shenzhou 12 crewmates outfitted the space station with tools wanted to help future actions.Video: Watch China’s 1st space station crew enter Tianhe moduleLiu, initially working alone, hooked up a foot restraint and platform to the top of the station’s 33-foot-long (10-meter) robotic arm after which mounted the arm himself. Shenzhou 12 commander Nie Haisheng then examined the arm’s controls, shifting Liu from contained in the Tianhe module.Tang, tethered to the handrails operating alongside the outside of the space station, later joined Liu in extending a panoramic digicam. They then continued working collectively to install different EVA tools with the assistance of the robotic arm.”After about 7 hours of exterior activities, the Shenzhou 12 crewmates working closely together successfully completed all the scheduled tasks during the spacewalk,” China’s Manned Space Agency introduced on the finish of the EVA.In footage: The most memorable spacewalks in historical pastShenzhou 12 astronaut Tang Honbo, carrying a Feitian spacesuit, floats contained in the docking hub of the Tianhe core module ready to exit China’s space station throughout a July 3, 2021 spacewalk. (Image credit score: CCTV)Liu and Tang accomplished the spacewalk at 2:57 a.m. EDT (0657 GMT or 2:57 p.m. Beijing time) on Sunday.A second spacewalk is deliberate for later within the Shenzhou 12 mission, which launched with Nie, Liu and Tang on June 16 and is scheduled to final three months. In addition to testing procedures, the EVAs are getting ready the station to be expanded with the addition of two laboratory modules to be launched in 2022.China’s first-ever spacewalk was carried out by Zhai Zhigang, commander of the Shenzhou 7 mission, in 2008. Liu was a part of that mission’s crew as effectively, and throughout the 22-minute outing, carried out a stand-up EVA, popping his head out of the hatch whereas carrying a Russian Orlan spacesuit.Related: The newest information about China’s space programShenzhou 12 spacewalker Liu Boming positions himself to mount the top of a robotic arm outside of China’s space station on July 3, 2021. (Image credit score: CCTV)The Chinese Feitian (“flying to space”) fits are related in design to the Orlan, with the transportable life help system additionally serving as a rear-entry hatch into the spacesuit. The Feitian’s helmets are outfitted with cameras, broadcasting a first-person view much like NASA’s extravehicular exercise unit (EMU) spacesuit.When not out on a spacewalk, the Shenzhou 12 crewmates have been configuring and testing the Tianhe core module’s programs, conducting science experiments and collaborating in video downlinks, together with speaking reside with Chinese President Xi Jinping.When accomplished, the T-shaped Tiangong (“Heavenly Palace”) space station shall be China’s first multi-module space station. In addition to internet hosting Chinese crews and analysis, China plans to ask worldwide companions to go to and work aboard the orbiting outpost.Follow collectSPACE.com on Facebook and on Twitter at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2021 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved.
Robert Pearlman is a journalist and space historian.
His unique “Ask An Astronaut” web site preceded NASA’s efforts to attach the general public with the women and men who’ve flown in space. Later, as the web program director for the National Space Society, Pearlman led the redesign and enlargement of the group’s on-line assets and web site, together with authoring the academic viewer’s information for Tom Hanks’ award-winning HBO miniseries “From the Earth to the Moon.”
In 1997, Pearlman was recruited by Buzz Aldrin to develop the Apollo astronaut’s first web site. And in 1999, Pearlman co-founded the astronaut-endorsed Starport.com, which subsequently was acquired by Space.com. Pearlman was then employed by Space.com to handle the positioning’s group initiatives.
Between 1998 and 2003, Pearlman was the on-air, on-line host for the National Space Day reside webcast filmed on the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.
In 1996, Pearlman was employed by space tourism agency Space Adventures as its first advertising and publicity director.
Today, Pearlman is the editor of collectSPACE.
Pearlman is a contributing author for Space.com, serves on the management board for For All Moonkind, he’s a member of the American Astronautical Society’s historical past committee, and serves as an advisor for The Mars Generation.
He is the co-author of “Space Stations: The Art, Science, and Reality of Working in Space,” printed on Oct. 30, 2018 by Smithsonian Books.
He served as technical marketing consultant on the 2013 film “Space Warriors” with Mira Sorvino and Danny Glover and the 2018 Damien Chazelle movie “First Man” with Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy. He served as historic marketing consultant on the 2019 Todd Douglas Miller documentary “Apollo 11.”
Pearlman has additionally appeared as a commentator on:
Strange Inheritance (Fox Business Network)
American Restoration (History Channel)
American Pickers (History Channel)
Mysteries on the Museum (Travel Channel)
Brad Meltzer’s Lost History (H2)
Ancient Aliens (History Channel)
NASA’s Unexplained Files (Science Channel)
Pearlman beforehand served on the boards of the National Space Society and U.S. Space Walk of Fame Foundation. He can also be a former nationwide chair for the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space.
In 2001, his work on collectSPACE earned Pearlman the Collector of the Year Award from the Universal Autograph Collectors Club (UACC).
In 2009, Pearlman was inducted into the Space Camp Hall of Fame.
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