Astronauts Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo were shown on Chinese state television on a space walk in front of China’s new orbital space station.
This video screengrab shows the astronaut Liu Boming stepping out of the core module of China’s new space station. (AP photo)
Two Chinese astronauts made the first space walk in front of China’s new orbital station on Sunday to work on setting up a 15-meter-long robotic arm.
Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo were shown on state television climbing out of the airlock as the earth rolled past them. The third crew member, Commander Nie Haisheng, stayed inside.
The astronauts arrived on June 17 for a three-month mission aboard China’s third orbital station, part of an ambitious space program that landed a robotic rover on Mars in May. Your mission comes as the ruling Communist Party celebrates the 100th anniversary of its founding.
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The station’s first module, Tianhe or Heavenly Harmony, was launched on April 29th. An automated spaceship with food and fuel followed. Liu, Nie, and Tang arrived aboard a Shenzhou capsule on June 17th.
On Sunday, according to state media, Liu and Tang completed the installation of a robotic arm that will be used to assemble the rest of the station. State TV said their spacesuits are designed to work in the vacuum of space for up to six hours if necessary.
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The space agency is planning a total of eleven launches by the end of next year to expand the 70-tonne station with two additional modules.
Liu is a veteran of the Shenzhou 7 Mission in 2008, where Zhai Zhigang went on China’s first space walk. Never is on his third voyage into space while Liu is making his first. All are military pilots.
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