Lai Ka-ying, Hong Kong’s first astronaut, and her crewmates on the Shenzhou XXIII manned space mission recently conducted various experiments while onboard the nation’s space station to gain greater insights on how living in space affects human bodies, a video released by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) on Sunday showed.
Last week, Lai and her fellow astronauts Colonel Zhu Yangzhu, mission commander and spaceflight engineer, and spacecraft pilot Colonel Zhang Zhiyuan, worked in pairs to perform the experiments onboard the Tiangong space station.
They conducted plantar pressure measurements, lower limb biomechanical tests, and muscle and tendon characteristic measurements, to study the stress on muscles and bones during exercise while in space, according to the video, which is part of the CMSA's Tiangong TV series that records Chinese astronauts' lives and work on the space station.
The astronauts collected plantar pressure data, joint kinematic data, motion images, and related muscle parameters under different load conditions during flight, including running and resistance exercises, to map out relationships between different motion state parameters and plantar pressure, as well as changes in muscle and tendon interactions, according to the video.
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The crewmembers also performed multitask neuroergonomics experiments with a near-infrared brain function imaging device, said the video, adding that ground researchers will analyze the data to better understand cognitive control changes while in space.
Physical science tasks were also part of their duties at the Tiangong space station, including replacing gas experiment module burners at the combustion science experiment cabinet, swapping sample materials inside the fluid physics experiment cabinet and cleaning lenses of observation windows, according to the CMSA’s video.
The crew also conducted routine inspections and maintenance of regenerative life support equipment, including devices for eye irrigation and intravenous infusion, while testing a newly upgraded mass measurement instrument, which made its debut at the space station.
Throughout the space mission, the three astronauts carried out regular exercise to combat the physiological effects of weightlessness, the video added.
The Shenzhou XXIII mission, which lifted off into space on May 24, is tasked with operating and maintaining the Tiangong space station, conducting scientific and technological experiments, carrying out spacewalks to install and retrieve equipment, and taking part in educational activities.
