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International Military - A new breakthrough was presented by Chinese astronauts when in outer space. Chinese astronauts have managed to release a video containing activities in space. This activity is like daily activities in general, such as shampooing. The result was truly unexpected and very extraordinary.
Taking a cue from a public relations exercise by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), a video was released on Saturday by China's Manned Space Agency showing Chinese taikonaut (Astronaut) Wang Yaping washing his hair on the space station. Wang is one of the three crew members of the Shenzhou-13 mission.
The Shenzhou-13 spacecraft carrying Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping, and Ye Guangfu was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on October 16, 2021, then docked with the Tianhe core module, from the space station under construction, Tiangong. .
A month later, on November 8, Wang Yaping became the first Chinese woman to walk in space when she moved from the space station under construction and took part in extravehicular activities for more than six hours with her male partner Zhai Zhigang. After a six-month stay in space, the return capsule Shenzhou-13 landed at the Dongfeng landing site in northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on April 16.
Imitating the West
In a recent video, Wang Yaping begins his demonstration by saying, “You must be wondering how female astronauts wash their long hair in space. Now let me show it to you."
After that, Wang was seen applying a special shampoo while working it towards the ends, he commented, "It's not easy to wash hair in space." According to the Eurasian Times, after the shampoo was applied to her hair, she squeezed the water out of her head and again worked on it towards the end, just as she would with the shampoo.
This isn't the first time an astronaut has demonstrated how to wash hair in space. NASA astronaut Kayla Barron recently made a video from the International Space Station (ISS) showing the same process. However, there are some notable differences in the accessories used by astronauts on the ISS and Chinese astronauts.
While Nyberg is seen using only a towel to clean and dry his hair, Wang is wearing a specially made 'towel mitt' and after that, he even wore a hairdryer cap on his head.
Also, in November 2021 China's state-owned CCTV released a video of the Shenzhou 13 astronaut crew getting a haircut in space where astronaut Ye Guangfu is seen holding a mirror and Wang Yaping using scissors, while astronaut Zhai Zhigang collects haircuts and carefully cuts Ye's hair. Guangfu.
This is again something that ISS astronauts from NASA and the Canadian space agency have demonstrated, etc., showing that Chinese astronauts are copying their western counterparts when it comes to creating content to engage the public.
ISS Space Station vs Tiangong Space Station
That said, there are definitely some areas where China's Tiangong Space Station exits in front of the ISS. The released video of the space station under construction showcases some of the tools and designs that set it apart from the ISS. Tiangong has a spacious bed for its astronauts, a sleek gym room, and a separate living room for each crew member.
In comparison, the ISS bed is roughly the size of a telephone booth. "It's so cramped that astronauts are sometimes forced to sleep together, everywhere," NASA astronaut Scott Kelly told Travel & Leisure earlier this year.
In addition, the ISS has a very cluttered interior design, with most of its space filled with assorted cables, computers, and various hardware. The chaos will make one wonder if it poses a danger to everyone on board, such as in an emergency, which is reported to have happened a lot lately.
However, it is also important to remember that the ISS was built in 1998, designed to have a lifespan of 30 years, while the Chinese space station was designed for only 10 years, although missions can be extended. Also, so far, the ISS has been in continuous occupancy for over 20 years, which is the longest continuous presence in low-Earth orbit.
The Chinese space station is currently set to have three modules, the Tianhe core module, the Wentian Laboratory Cabin Module, and the Mengtian Laboratory Cabin Module, while the ISS has 16 modules.