Chinese astronauts make first spacewalk outside new station

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

BEIJING (AP) — Two astronauts on Sunday made the first spacewalk outside China’s new orbital station to set up cameras and other equipment using a 15-meter-long (50-foot-long) robotic arm.

Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo were shown by state TV climbing out of the airlock as Earth rolled past below them. The third crew member, commander Nie Haisheng, stayed inside.

Liu and Tang spent nearly seven hours outside the station, the Chinese space agency said.

The astronauts arrived June 17 for a three-month mission aboard China’s third orbital station, part of an ambitious space program that landed a robot rover on Mars in May. Their mission comes as the ruling Communist Party celebrates the 100th anniversary of its founding.



This photo released by Xinhua News Agency shows a screen at Beijing Aerospace Control Center showing astronaut Liu Boming stepping out of core module of the China's new space station in space on Sunday, July 4, 2021. Two astronauts made the first space walk on Sunday outside China's new orbital station to work on setting up a 15-meter (50-foot) long robotic arm. (Jin Liwang/Xinhua via AP)


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-science-c1cb392bface125111686c37db6e634c

[Sapient Donkey]

1. They are making great advances in their space program

Other than the US and Russia/Soviets, are there any other countries that have independently done this? I'm pretty sure it's just those three.

Whatever rivalries there are down here on earth, I will cheering on all peaceful space missions regardless of who is doing it. I hate the way that whenever NASA or CNSA do anything, there is always a contingent of people shitting on it just because it's from an "adversary"