Six hours of walking in space! On August 20, 2021, Chinese astronauts (宇航员) Liu Boming and Nie Haisheng did the second spacewalk of the ShenzhouxXII mission.
Spacewalks can be dangerous. There is no air in space, of course. And it's filled with harmful radiation. But the spacesuits can protect astronauts well.
A spacesuit is like a small space station. It has everything that astronauts need when they carry out a spacewalk. For example, China's Feitian spacesuits have six layers. The innermost layer collects astronauts' urine. Then there are four layers that help control the temperature and air pressure inside the suit. Spacesuits are filled with air, so they look like they're puffed up. The sixth layer is made of special fibers that protect astronauts from radiation.
The spacesuit has headphones and speakers for astronauts to communicate with others. There's also a mirror on the wrist. Astronauts can check their suits by looking at it.
The first Feitian suit was made in 2008. Zhai Zhigang wore it to carry out China's first spacewalk for about 19 minutes. The suits Chinese astronauts wear today are the second generation of Feitian. It can support walks as long as eight hours and can be used more often. The first generation could only be used five times within two years, while the second generation can be used 15 times within three years. Each suit costs around 30 million yuan and it takes four months to make just one!
