The second spacewalk of two Chinese astronauts on August 20 involved the installation of various equipment, including a backup temperature control system.
Astronaut Nie Haisheng exits the core module for the spacewalk. (Photo: CMSA)
Astronauts Liu Boming and Nie Haisheng exited the core module of the station at 9:13 AM on August 20, Hanoi time, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). Their colleague, Tang Hongbo, the third member of the Shenzhou 12 crew, remained inside the module to provide support. During the 4-hour mission, Liu and Nie installed multiple pieces of equipment outside the station. First, they attached a footrest and a platform for extravehicular activities (EVA) to the robotic arm of the Tiangong station, enabling the transportation of additional equipment.
The two astronauts installed a thermal control pump, a crucial component of the Tiangong station’s temperature control system, serving as a backup for the internal circulation pump within the module. They also mounted a bracket for a panoramic camera near the module’s door, enhancing the camera’s field of view. The duo returned to the module at 1:33 PM the same day, one hour ahead of schedule.
Liu was also part of the team that conducted the first EVA outside the new space station on July 4, about two weeks after the crew arrived at the station. At that time, he was accompanied by Tang while Nie remained inside the module. The crew is set to spend three months in space, marking China’s longest space mission to date. They are expected to return to Earth in mid-September 2021.
China launched the core module called Tianhe of the Tiangong station on April 28. With a length of 16.6 meters, a maximum diameter of 4.2 meters, and a mass of 22.5 tons, Tianhe is the largest spacecraft ever built by China. The next two modules, named Wentian and Mengtian, are scheduled to dock with the core module next year to form a T-shaped space station capable of long-term operation.
