Chinese astronauts go on spacewalk from new station

Beijing, Sept. 18 (BNA): Two Chinese astronauts have conducted a spacewalk from a new space station that will be completed later this year.

State media said Cai Xuze and Qin Dong installed pumps, a handle to open the hatch door from the outside in case of emergency, and a foot stand to secure an astronaut’s foot to a robotic arm.

The latest spacewalk was the second in a six-month mission that will oversee the completion of the space station.

The Associated Press (AP) reported that the first two labs, with a capacity of 23 tons, were added to the station in July, and the others will be dispatched later this year.

The third member of the crew, Liu Yang, supported the other two from the inside during their spacewalks. Liu and Chen conducted their first spacewalk about two weeks ago.

They will be joined by three other astronauts towards the end of their mission in what will be the first time that six people have been aboard the station.

China became the third country to send a person into space in 2003, after the former Soviet Union and the United States. It has sent rovers to the Moon and Mars and returned lunar samples to Earth.

ZHB