The three astronauts, as the Chinese astronauts are called, can be seen through a camera in the cockpit. They seemed calm during the launch, despite Jie’s high strength. A camera was also placed on the outside of the Shenzhou-13, which clearly showed the launch process. The opening ceremony was attended by Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng.
The three astronauts will return to Earth in April next year. Until then, they will work on the Chinese space station. The Heavenly Palace now consisted of a tube 16 meters long and 4 meters wide. Two more parts will be sent to the space station next year. They are called Wentian (Search for Heaven) and Mengtian (Dreams of Heaven).
In June, the first three Chinese astronauts went to the station. They conducted a number of spacewalks, including installing a robotic arm on the outside of the complex. In September, the crew members returned to Earth.
Mars
China is particularly ambitious. The country first flew a person into space in 2003. It was the third country to do so after the Soviet Union/Russia and the United States. Earlier this year, the country successfully placed an unmanned vehicle on the surface of Mars. In 2019, China was the first to land on the far side of the moon. Other countries prefer to do such projects with others, but China prefers to work alone.
