Three astronauts who helped end the development of China’s space station are again in Beijing to begin the restoration course of after spending half a yr in orbit.
Astronauts Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe landed of their Shenzhou spacecraft return capsule at Dongfeng within the Gobi Desert within the Internal Mongolia Autonomous Area on Sunday (Dec. 4), simply hours after leaving the Tiangong space station.
Chen, Liu and Cai had been in fantastic spirits upon emergence from the capsule, and so they had been quickly whisked away to Xijiao Airport through airliner.
Associated: China’s Shenzhou 14 astronauts snap stunning photos of Earth, the moon and more
The astronauts had been greeted there by relations for a quick reunion. However they’ve now entered a post-mission recuperation phase to get better from the results of six months in microgravity, comparable to a lack of bone density. The astronauts had been carried down from the aircraft in specifically designed chairs because of this.
The trio are actually in a quarantine restoration interval on the China Astronaut Analysis and Coaching Heart, which is anticipated to final three to 4 weeks. Throughout this time, they are going to bear a complete medical examination and well being evaluation. To date the indicators are good because the astronauts re-adapt to the exertions of gravity on Earth.
“The crew stayed in space for 183 days this time, and they’re all in good condition each mentally and bodily. Their return and touchdown had been easy too,” Xu Chong, director of the China Astronaut Analysis and Coaching Heart, advised CCTV (opens in new tab).
The earlier crew, Shenzhou 13, landed in mid-April this yr and made their first (opens in new tab) public look in late June after recovering from their six months in orbit.
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Throughout their mission aboard Tiangong, Chen, Liu and Cai oversaw the arrival of two new space station modules in addition to three additional rendezvous and docking maneuvers involving Tianzhou freighters and Shenzhou craft and launched into three spacewalks. Additionally they hosted a reside and interactive science outreach lecture and despatched dwelling stunning images of the Earth and moon.
The final act of the Shenzhou 14 mission earlier than departing for Earth was handing over Tiangong to the crew of the Shenzhou 15 mission. This marked China’s first crew handover and the primary time the nation has had six astronauts in space concurrently.
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