According to the China Manned Space Engineering Office, at 18:44 Beijing time on December 26, 2021, Shenzhou 13 astronaut Ye Guangfu successfully opened the door of the Tianhe core module, astronaut Ye Guangfu at 18:50, astronaut Zhai Zhigang at 19:37, wearing China's new generation of "flying" extravehicular space suit, has successfully exited the capsule from the Tianhe core module node module.
Zhai Zhigang and Ye Guangfu operated outside the cabin, and the astronaut Wang Yaping stationed in the cabin cooperated with the ground to control the mechanical arm and supported the two astronauts out of the cabin to carry out extravehicular operations.
According to CCTV News, the implementation of extravehicular operations is becoming the norm for missions during the space station phase. In the future, Chinese astronauts will carry out more and more complex outgoing activities to provide strong support for the smooth completion of the construction and stable operation of the space station.
Footage of Shenzhou 13 astronaut Zhai Zhigang out of the capsule taken at the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center on December 26. Photo/ Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Guo Zhongzheng
At 00:55 on December 27, after about 6 hours, the Shenzhou 13 astronaut crew successfully completed all the established tasks of the second departure, and astronaut Zhai Zhigang and astronaut Ye Guangfu returned safely to the Tianhe core module, and the outgoing activity was a complete success.
Subsequently, the Shenzhou 13 astronaut crew will be put into the next stage of the on-orbit work mission to welcome the arrival of the New Year in a "feel good" state, which will also be the first time for Chinese astronauts to celebrate the New Year in space.
The reporter learned that as of now, the Shenzhou 13 astronaut crew has been working and living in orbit for 72 days.
On December 26, the Shenzhou 13 astronaut Ye Guangfu was photographed at the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center. Photo/ Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Guo Zhongzheng
■ Demystifying
What to do with this departure?
Complete tasks such as lifting panoramic camera C and autonomous carrying object transfer verification
On November 7, when the Shenzhou 13 crew first left the capsule, Ye Guangfu, an astronaut stationed in the cabin, said: I will leave the capsule next time. More than a month later, at 18:51 on December 26, Ye Guangfu said: I have left the cabin and feel good.
The reporter learned that in the extravehicular operation, Ye Guangfu took the mechanical arm to the operation site, and Zhai Zhigang crawled to the operation site. According to the China Manned Space Engineering Office, there are two tasks in the extravehicular operation, one is to coordinate the lifting of the space station's extravehicular panoramic camera C, and the other is to verify the transfer of autonomous carrying objects.
According to CCTV News, the panoramic camera C is located in the front cone section of the large column section, which is very similar to the previous lifting of the panoramic camera A and D, but it is also very difficult.
Wang Yanlei, director of the selection room of the Chinese Astronaut Scientific Research and Training Center, once introduced in an interview that due to the limitation of the external exposure of the launch, the camera was installed in a relatively low position, and its field of view angle was limited, and after entering the orbit, it was necessary to expand the camera's perspective to monitor the entire extravehicular situation, and astronauts were required to install a bracket on these cameras and set it up a little higher.
Previously, all equipment was carried by astronauts to the operation site with a robotic arm. This time, the astronauts carried the relevant equipment to climb to the work site. According to CCTV News, the specific path is from the hatch to the middle of the small column section.
Scene of Shenzhou 13 astronaut Wang Yaping working in the core module photographed at the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center on December 26. Photo/ Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Guo Zhongzheng
Why should panoramic cameras be lifted higher?
The camera is farther away from the bulkhead, and the obstruction is smaller, and the observation effect will be better
The outgoing activity carried out in orbit is not only the second outgoing activity of the Shenzhou 13 crew, but also the fourth outgoing activity of the astronauts in the Chinese space station stage.
On July 4 this year, Shenzhou 12 astronauts Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo completed the mission, which was the first time that astronauts in the Chinese space station stage had left the capsule. Subsequently, on August 20, The Shenzhou 12 crew Nie Haisheng and Liu Boming completed the mission of leaving the capsule, which was also the second outgoing activity of the astronauts in the space station stage.
On November 7 this year, Shenzhou 13 crew Zhai Zhigang and Wang Yaping completed the third exit of astronauts in the space station stage.
CCTV's "Oriental Time and Space" program introduced that the same as the previous three missions is that in the fourth mission, astronauts also have to lift the panoramic camera. Because before the spacecraft enters space, the products outside the spacecraft are close to the bulkhead, so after entering space, astronauts need to go out of the capsule to adjust these scientific equipment, so as to enter the working state.
Zhang Wei, chief designer of the space station system of the Fifth Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology Group, said that the panoramic camera will be lifted by 300 mm, and after the lift, the distance between the camera and the bulkhead will be farther. This way, the camera will be less visible before and after the occlusion effect, so the observation will be better.
In the first two missions of the panoramic camera, the astronauts located on the bulkhead not only completed their own tasks, but also assisted the astronauts working on the robotic arm to lift the panoramic camera, and this time due to the small space around the panoramic camera, the lifting task was mainly undertaken by the astronauts on the robotic arm.
Zhang Wei said that the extravehicular operation, because the lifting of the panoramic camera is higher than before, and it is also affected by the surrounding handrails and layout, so the main operation of the capsule is still completed by all the astronauts on the mechanical arm, and the astronauts next to it mainly play the role of observation and reminder.
Beijing News reporter Zhang Jianlin
Edited by Bai Shuang Proofreader Zhang Yanjun