“It’s really impressive to see the magnitude of this project.”
Mia Armor
The two astronauts ventured outside China’s Tiangong Space Station last week to protect its exterior from space debris kicked up by an exploding Russian satellite.
“The spacewalk was focused on installing protection devices on external cables and pipelines to reduce the risk of space debris collision and improve the long-term safety and stability of the space station,” Liu Ming, an engineer with China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, told the state-run news network. Surveillance camera,Quote source: South China Morning Post.
The news comes after the retired Earth observation satellite Resurs-P1 broke apart in orbit late last month, forcing astronauts aboard the International Space Station to evacuate inside their spacecraft. The satellite broke into more than 100 pieces that are now being tracked by the U.S. Space Force.
Instead of staying put, the crew of China’s Tiangong space station has been told to beef up its physical defenses, a mission that highlights the huge risk that small pieces of space debris pose to astronauts orbiting Earth.
Shield +1
Astronaut Li Cong was maneuvered into position with the help of a robotic arm, while fellow crew member Ye Guangfu handed over the necessary equipment, while third astronaut Li Guangman monitored the mission from the space station’s central module, Tianhe.
The spacewalk lasted six and a half hours and was completed with few incidents. South CarolinaThe two astronauts joked around, raced to reach designated locations and even posed for the cameras.
“Every time the robot arm sends me up high, despite the bright sunlight, I [could not] It helps, but I would like to see more details,” Li Cong said. Surveillance camera“It’s really impressive to see the magnitude of this project.”
The three astronauts have been stationed at the orbiting laboratory since April 26, and have already installed several protective devices on the station’s Mengtian laboratory module during a spacewalk on May 28. The latest mission also involved work to add other protective devices to the station’s Wentian laboratory and Tianhe core modules.
The ISS also has bulletproof panels to protect it from micrometeorites and orbital debris.
As depicted in the 2013 sci-fi blockbuster film “Gravity,” when space debris strikes a spacecraft in orbit, the consequences could be disastrous, ranging from tiny impacts the size of a micrometer to mission-critical holes larger than a centimeter, according to the European Space Agency. A collision with a 10-centimeter object “would likely involve catastrophic disintegration of the target.”
And Earth’s orbit is becoming increasingly cluttered over time, meaning space agencies are having to get creative to ensure crew survival.
More about space junk: Space station debris is in danger, astronauts evacuate in escape vehicles
