• 4 weeks ago
Preparations are under way for a future manned lunar mission with the Shenzhou 18 crew returning home on Monday.

They are expected at the Dongfeng Landing Site in north-west China, where the home crowd is ready to welcome them back. Sun Ye reports.

#china #shenzhou18 #space #moon
Transcript
00:00The Shenzhou 18th return capsule is expected to touch down at the Dongfeng landing site on Monday.
00:07The search area stretches tens of thousands of square kilometers,
00:11covering Gobi Desert, grassland lakes and saline landscapes.
00:17Wang Zhengjun is part of the search team.
00:20He tells us that this search mission has its own challenges.
00:24This mission faces conditions of darkness and low temperatures.
00:29The main challenge is the darkness, which will make it difficult to search for and locate the target.
00:35The search and recovery team has gone through drills to make sure they find their target fast.
00:42And the team is experienced.
00:44Earlier this year, the same team managed and oversaw the return of the Shenzhou 17,
00:51the return of the Chang'e 6 capsule,
00:53and the recovery of China's first reusable satellite, the Shijian 19.
01:00Wang says their experience will be useful in the return of future manned lunar missions.
01:06To have taikonauts land on the moon and return safely is our long-cherished wish.
01:11We're preparing for the historic moment.
01:14Through all the missions in recent years,
01:16we have formed an all-terrain, all-time, all-weather search and rescue team.
01:21We have accumulated rich experience in organizing and implementing missions.
01:25We have developed capabilities in communications, target search,
01:29medical monitoring and treatment, equipment handling and more.
01:33This is the foundation for search and rescue operations for future manned lunar exploration and return missions.
01:39That said, search and rescue efforts for manned lunar missions
01:43have different requirements from those of low-Earth orbit flights.
01:46For example, there is a difference in terms of isolation and protection of astronauts upon landing on Earth.
01:52We're preparing for that, too.
01:54No matter where the taikonauts come from in space,
01:57the home team says they will get them home safe and sound.
02:02Sun Ye, CGTN, Jiuquan, Gansu Province.

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