China ’s blank place gang take out two spacewalks this retiring winter to recompense the solar wing attached to the core module , which had been damage by outer space debris .
The Tiangong space post ’s core mental faculty , Tianhe , abide a fond loss of big businessman due to the impact , leading China to dispatch its astronaut on a pair of spacewalks for orbital resort . The recent spacewalks were historic , distinguish the first time China ’s spaceman had to conduct repair work in sphere . As the state - run media outletXinhuanow report , these mend were successful , situate the marrow mental faculty ’s solar wings .
The Shenzhou 17 crew members — astronauts Tang Hongbo , Tang Shengjie , and Jiang Xinlin — spend nearly 16 time of day tethered to the space station during the two spacewalks , the first on December 1 , 2023 , and the 2nd on March 1 , 2024 , according to theChina Manned Space Agency ( CMSA ) . The space station ’s solar arrays are now fully useable , according to Xinhua , noting that the legal injury result from the “ shock of distance debris on the solar flank ’s might line . ”
China performed the first of the two spacewalks in December 2023.Photo: China Manned Space
It ’s not clear when the impact to the blank station assume position , or what exactly might have shine the solar array . give that the first spacewalk occur in December , it ’s likely the encroachment come about soon before then . It may have been a natural occurrence of a micrometeorite in field , or the result of human - spawned space dust .
China ’s Tiangong blank space station has fulfil several simulated military operation to forfend space debris , Lin Xiqiang , deputy director of CMSA , said during a late mechanical press conference , as Xinhua reports . The latest incident has prompted the Chinese space bureau to adopt preventive measures to mitigate the risk of space dust . An upcoming mission to the station will bring along “ space debris protection reinforcements for extravehicular pipe , cables and critical equipment during their extravehicular activities , ” harmonize to Xinhua .
According to Lin , the space agency has improved its ability to predict the orbits of the space place and wall aim , refined the procedures for outer space collision warnings and avoidance maneuvers , and abridge the false alarum pace by 30 percent , Xinhua report . CMSA will also use the high - definition photographic camera on the blank space post ’s automatic arm , and the extravehicular manus - held cameras used by the astronauts , to inspect Tiangong from the exterior and psychoanalyze the likeliness of small debris shock .
A Shenzhou 17 crew member repairing the solar panels during a recent spacewalk.Image: China Manned Space
The danger posed by infinite debris in orbit are growing as more ballistic capsule are launch , increase the likelihood of orbital hit . before this class , adefunct Russian satellite came within 10 metersof NASA ’s TIMED spacecraft , which would have result in thousands more of blank debris sherd float in area .
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