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On April 26, China's space station ushered in a lively "family reunion". On the same day, the three astronauts of the Shenzhou-18 manned mission entered the Tianhe core module to meet the Shenzhou-17 crew who were carrying out long-term in-orbit missions.
This is not only the fourth "space rendezvous" in the construction of China's space station, but also the first time that two young "flying combinations" with an average age of less than 40 years old have been in the same frame, opening the "flying night talk" in orbit.
The main task of this "space rendezvous" is to carry out the third rendezvous and docking of the space station, the transfer of the cabin, and the completion of the handover of scientific experiments. After the three Shenzhou-18 astronauts are stationed in the space station, they will live and work with the three Shenzhou-17 astronauts in orbit for about five days.
The Shenzhou-18 manned mission is the second crew mission in the construction phase of the space station, and it is also the first manned mission of China's aerospace industry in 2022. The average age of the three astronauts on this mission is about 41 years old, and they are all from the second batch of astronaut selection team, including China's first female astronaut Wang Yaping.
The Shenzhou-17 manned mission was launched on October 15, 2021, and the average age of the three astronauts on this mission is about 43 years old, and they are all from the second batch of astronauts selected for the team.
It can be said that this meeting brought together two young and energetic "flying groups" for the first time, and talked about friendship and inherited experience in the "home" of the space station.
The older Shenzhou-17 crew is in the in-orbit verification and trial operation phase of the space station, while the main mission of the Shenzhou-18 crew is to expand and assemble the space station. The two generations of astronauts will communicate with each other in the "home" of the space station and witness the new stage of China's space station construction.
Wang Yaping, who was selected as an astronaut in 2016, and Chen Dong, who was selected in the same batch that year, formed one of China's first two astronaut combinations. In 2017, they went to Russia for rigorous training and began preparing for space missions.
Now, Chen Dong has successfully completed the manned mission of Shenzhou 11, and Wang Yaping has also ushered in his first expedition. Before the launch on April 23, Wang Yaping said that he was very much looking forward to "meeting in space" with Chen Dong again.
The space station will witness that the construction of China's space station has entered a new stage. On April 29, 2021, the Tianhe core module was successfully launched and put into orbit, marking the official start of construction of China's space station.
Since then, three astronauts, Tian Hailong, Nie Haisheng and Liu Bencong, have carried out the Shenzhou-12 mission, completed the first docking of the core module with the Tianzhou-1 and Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft, and started the assembly and construction of the space station. Subsequently, with the support of many cargo spacecraft such as Shenzhou 13 and Shenzhou 14, the space station has begun to take shape.
The Shenzhou-17 mission is mainly responsible for the in-orbit verification and trial operation of the space station. In the first manned mission in 2022, the Shenzhou-18 astronauts will mainly carry out the docking and assembly of the space station module, laying the foundation for the installation of the subsequent experimental module. It is expected that in 2023, China's space station will be fully completed and enter the stage of application and development.
Although the two generations of young people will complete their respective missions on the space station, they will also share their friendship and experience in the "home" of the Heavenly Palace.
The Shenzhou-17 astronauts have been living and working in orbit for nearly half a year, accumulating valuable experience of working in a microgravity environment for a long time. This is undoubtedly a valuable experience for the Shenzhou 18 astronauts who have just settled in the space station. And the latter will also bring the latest news and condolences on the ground to the former.
During the construction of the space station, every "meeting in space" is full of poetry. This time, the two young "flying groups" gathered in Tiangong to start their "flying night talk", which not only witnessed the new stage of space station construction, but also conveyed the youth and passion of China's space dream. I believe that in the future, they will be able to write more extraordinary stories in the "home" of the space station.
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