China's Shenzhou-19 astronauts have disclosed new details about their historic nine-hour spacewalk in December, revealing how they resolved a critical equipment malfunction during humanity's longest-ever extravehicular activity (EVA). The incident highlights China's evolving technical prowess in orbital operations as it expands its space station capabilities.
Mission specialist Cai Xuzhe, now China's most seasoned spacewalker with five EVAs, described encountering a partially jammed payload adapter during equipment installation. "We remained calm and systematically tested each component," Cai explained during a post-mission briefing. "Our training simulations prepared us for scenarios far beyond textbook procedures."
The successful troubleshooting occurred during China's 135th crewed spaceflight day, with engineers on the ground collaborating in real-time with the orbiting team. Analysts note such incidents demonstrate growing confidence in China's ability to conduct complex repairs in microgravity conditions – a critical skill for maintaining permanent space stations.
