China might broadcast live first ever spacewalk

New Delhi, Jan 26 : China might broadcast live the first ever spacewalk by its astronauts in the upcoming mission of Shenzhou VII this year.

According to Yuan Jie, president of Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST), "The Shenzhou VII spacecraft is capable of live-broadcasting the walk, but it has not been decided if the spacewalk will be broadcast in a live or recorded version."

SAST is in charge of the transmission of pictures and audio signals of Shenzhou VII and its technologies have been proved successful in previous Shenzhou spacecraft missions.

SAST is also responsible for the research of the propulsion system, power system, and monitoring and control communication system of the Shenzhou VII, according to Yuan.

Compared with the previous two manned space flights, the upcoming Shenzhou VII space mission is more complex. Besides the spacewalk, the crew is also expected to perform extra-vehicular work such as installing equipment and tightening screws.

ANI