China’s Shenzhou 17 astronauts are getting into the rhythms of life in orbit — and also sending back some choice clips of their activities.
Shenzhou 17 arrived at the Tiangong space station on Oct. 26, where they were greeted by the outgoing Shenzhou 16 mission crew.
Mission commander Tang Hongbo, a veteran of 2021’s Shenzhou 12 mission, and rookie astronauts Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin have now been in orbit for three weeks and working well.
Related: Watch Chinese astronauts light a match on Tiangong station (video)
Their daily work includes moving equipment outside the space station for experiments, managing equipment and facilities and maintaining science facilities for long-term research, according to a report from Chinese broadcaster CCTV.
The Shenzhou 17 astronauts have also conducted “medical care skill training” to boost their physical fitness and meet the demands of living in orbit.
China’s human spaceflight agency recently released footage of the crewmembers as they ate and exercised. The astronauts also captured their own footage, including a view of their Shenzhou 17 spacecraft docked with Tiangong.
The trio are expected to spend another five months in orbit. They will welcome the arrival of a new cargo spacecraft, Tianzhou 7, in early 2024. They are also reported to soon conduct their first extravehicular activity, or spacewalk.
