“Wow, it’s so beautiful out here!” Chinese astronaut Liu Boming gasped as he slipped out of the Tianhe core module of China’s space station to begin a spacewalk at 8:11 a.m. on Sunday.
Liu was conducting the mission’s first extravehicular activity to install equipment such as foot restraints and workbench on a robotic arm. He is one of three astronauts aboard the Shenzhou-12 spacecraft, which was launched on June 17 to visit the Tiangong space station. They will remain in orbit for three months to carry out repairs and other tasks.
About three hours later, fellow astronaut Tang Hongbo pulled himself out of Tianhe to assist Liu in finishing the equipment installation. They also worked together to lift a panoramic camera outside the core module before completing their spacewalk at 2:57 p.m.
Tang Hongbo eats an apple in the Tianhe core module. Photo: VCG
The successful spacewalk was the second in Chinese history after Zhai Zhigang performed a nearly 20-minute spacewalk in 2008 during the Shenzhou-7 mission. The Tianhe core module was launched into space in April, marking the start of the Tiangong space station deployment slated to be completed within two years.
According to the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO), the latest spacewalk lays a foundation for smooth implementation of future extravehicular activities on the space station. The country plans to carry out 11 missions to help with the construction of Tiangong, including four manned launches, Caixin has previously reported.
On June 17, China successfully sent the three astronauts into space to board the Tianhe core module. Yang Liwei, director of the CMSEO and the first Chinese astronaut sent into space, told the state-run broadcaster CCTV that he was “so envious of them” as their new home is so much more capacious than the 2.8 meter-wide Shenzhou-5 he crammed into in 2003.
Tianhe provides astronauts a working and living space of about 50 cubic meters, Bai Linhou, the space station’s deputy chief designer, told CCTV.
The total space available in the core module, including the manned and cargo spaceships, is now nearly 150 cubic meters, 10 times larger than the past, Bai said, calling the current accommodations a “villa” by comparison.
Each astronaut has their own bedroom, though the team shares a single bathroom, amenities which are designed to help maintain their physical and mental well-being while in conditions of extended weightlessness and confined space, said Huang Weifen, chief designer of astronaut systems for the space program.
The three-month stay is likely to test the endurance of the astronauts as they seek to avoid illness and respond to potential emergency incidents. To keep tabs on the well-being of the crew, Tianhe has been equipped with an acoustic and optical alarm system to act as an early warning system on the ground for monitoring, Huang said.
By doing this, its not necessary for the astronauts to stay awake and be on guard at all ties, she said. In addition, the core module has special heating equipment, dedicated areas with suitable lighting for ensuring they sleep well, and a pantry stocked with more than 120 types of space food.
A bag of apple floats in the Tianhe core module. Photo: VCG
To keep their muscles from atrophying, astronauts must undertake at least two hours of exercises, three to four times a week, on treadmills and stationary bicycles designed to address issues of long-term weightlessness.
“Astronauts (can) adjust their mood and have fun, while watching movies, listening to their favorite music as well as reading books,” Huang said. “We’ve also developed a virtual reality-based system via which astronauts can see their families, familiar life scenes and beautiful landscapes.”
Yang said the mission was doing everything possible to allow the space crew to enjoy a comfortable life in orbit.
Among the new technologies is a regenerative life-support system in which Chinese astronauts’ urine and body moisture can be recycled into distilled water they can safely drink and use during sanitary work, said Pang Zhihao, a researcher from the China Academy of Space Technology. The system also produces oxygen by water electrolysis, he said.
As astronauts need to stay in space for longer periods, there is a tradeoff involved with the resources they need to sustain themselves. By recycling as much as possible, this reduces the need for more powerful launch vehicles as well as saving money, Pang said.
Contact reporter Wang Xintong (xintongwang@caixin.com) and editor Lu Zhenhua (zhenhualu@caixin.com)
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NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The body of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei — who died after being set on fire by her partner in Kenya — was received Friday by family and anti-femicide crusaders, ahead of her burial a day later.
Cheptegei’s family met with dozens of activists Friday who had marched to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital’s morgue in the western city of Eldoret while chanting anti-femicide slogans.
She is the fourth female athlete to have been killed by her partner in Kenya in yet another case of gender-based violence in recent years.
Viola Cheptoo, the founder of Tirop Angels – an organization that was formed in honor of athlete Agnes Tirop, who was stabbed to death in 2021, said stakeholders need to ensure this is the last death of an athlete due to gender-based violence.
“We are here to say that enough is enough, we are tired of burying our sisters due to GBV,” she said.
It was a somber mood at the morgue as athletes and family members viewed Cheptegei’s body which sustained 80% of burns after she was doused with gasoline by her partner Dickson Ndiema. Ndiema sustained 30% burns on his body and later succumbed.
Ndiema and Cheptegei were said to have quarreled over a piece of land that the athlete bought in Kenya, according to a report filed by the local chief.
Cheptegei competed in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics less than a month before the attack. She finished in 44th place.
Cheptegei’s father, Joseph, said that the body will make a brief stop at their home in the Endebess area before proceeding to Bukwo in eastern Uganda for a night vigil and burial on Saturday.
“We are in the final part of giving my daughter the last respect,” a visibly distraught Joseph said.
He told reporters last week that Ndiema was stalking and threatening Cheptegei and the family had informed police.
Four in 10 women or an estimated 41% of dating or married Kenyan women have experienced physical or sexual violence perpetrated by their current or most recent partner, according to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022.
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A rare Bronze-Era jar accidentally smashed by a 4-year-old visiting a museum was back on display Wednesday after restoration experts were able to carefully piece the artifact back together.
Last month, a family from northern Israel was visiting the museum when their youngest son tipped over the jar, which smashed into pieces.
Alex Geller, the boy’s father, said his son — the youngest of three — is exceptionally curious, and that the moment he heard the crash, “please let that not be my child” was the first thought that raced through his head.
The jar has been on display at the Hecht Museum in Haifa for 35 years. It was one of the only containers of its size and from that period still complete when it was discovered.
The Bronze Age jar is one of many artifacts exhibited out in the open, part of the Hecht Museum’s vision of letting visitors explore history without glass barriers, said Inbal Rivlin, the director of the museum, which is associated with Haifa University in northern Israel.
It was likely used to hold wine or oil, and dates back to between 2200 and 1500 B.C.
Rivlin and the museum decided to turn the moment, which captured international attention, into a teaching moment, inviting the Geller family back for a special visit and hands-on activity to illustrate the restoration process.
Rivlin added that the incident provided a welcome distraction from the ongoing war in Gaza. “Well, he’s just a kid. So I think that somehow it touches the heart of the people in Israel and around the world,“ said Rivlin.
Roee Shafir, a restoration expert at the museum, said the repairs would be fairly simple, as the pieces were from a single, complete jar. Archaeologists often face the more daunting task of sifting through piles of shards from multiple objects and trying to piece them together.
Experts used 3D technology, hi-resolution videos, and special glue to painstakingly reconstruct the large jar.
Less than two weeks after it broke, the jar went back on display at the museum. The gluing process left small hairline cracks, and a few pieces are missing, but the jar’s impressive size remains.
The only noticeable difference in the exhibit was a new sign reading “please don’t touch.”
VICTORIA – The British Columbia government is partnering with a bear welfare group to reduce the number of bears being euthanized in the province.
Nicholas Scapillati, executive director of Grizzly Bear Foundation, said Monday that it comes after months-long discussions with the province on how to protect bears, with the goal to give the animals a “better and second chance at life in the wild.”
Scapillati said what’s exciting about the project is that the government is open to working with outside experts and the public.
“So, they’ll be working through Indigenous knowledge and scientific understanding, bringing in the latest techniques and training expertise from leading experts,” he said in an interview.
B.C. government data show conservation officers destroyed 603 black bears and 23 grizzly bears in 2023, while 154 black bears were killed by officers in the first six months of this year.
Scapillati said the group will publish a report with recommendations by next spring, while an independent oversight committee will be set up to review all bear encounters with conservation officers to provide advice to the government.
Environment Minister George Heyman said in a statement that they are looking for new ways to ensure conservation officers “have the trust of the communities they serve,” and the panel will make recommendations to enhance officer training and improve policies.
Lesley Fox, with the wildlife protection group The Fur-Bearers, said they’ve been calling for such a committee for decades.
“This move demonstrates the government is listening,” said Fox. “I suspect, because of the impending election, their listening skills are potentially a little sharper than they normally are.”
Fox said the partnership came from “a place of long frustration” as provincial conservation officers kill more than 500 black bears every year on average, and the public is “no longer tolerating this kind of approach.”
“I think that the conservation officer service and the B.C. government are aware they need to change, and certainly the public has been asking for it,” said Fox.
Fox said there’s a lot of optimism about the new partnership, but, as with any government, there will likely be a lot of red tape to get through.
“I think speed is going to be important, whether or not the committee has the ability to make change and make change relatively quickly without having to study an issue to death, ” said Fox.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2024.
