Barbecue Feast Hosted on Tiangong During Crew Handover
After six months in space, the Shenzhou-20 crew is preparing to head back to Earth tomorrow.
China’s Tiangong Space Station has seen another five-day-long crew handover, with a feast between the crews utilizing a brand new oven.
Just over three and a half hours after launch their launch on October 31st, the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft, carrying Commander Zhang Lu, Flight Engineer Wu Fei, and Payload Expert Zhang Hongzhang, docked with Tiangong. A few hours later, following leak checks and various tests, hatches between Shenzhou’s orbital module and the Tianhe module’s forward docking port were opened, allowing the new crew to be greeted by Shenzhou-20’s Commander Chen Dong, Operator Chen Zhongrui, and Science Operator Wang Jie on November 1st.
For the first two days on board the new crew spent time adapting to working in microgravity and transferring cargoes between the space station and the two Shenzhou spacecraft.
One new item delivered with the Shenzhou-21 mission is a new addition to Tiangong’s kitchen, a hot air oven (otherwise known as an air fryer). The oven can cook a tray of food held between a plate on one side and a grill on the other, which lock together, to allow for the frying or grilling of food items, including fruits. To prevent a long-term lingering smell of cooked food through the next decade of Tiangong’s use, the oven has a dedicated residue collection and air purification system hooked up to it.
While not a major engineering development, it is a significant humanistic milestone for managing taikonauts’ psychology, as they can enjoy the same foods in space that they could previously only have on Earth1. In a video shared by China Central Television, all six taikonauts on board were eagerly cooking and feasting on roast chicken and steak, after installing the oven, on November 3rd. Wang Jie and Wu Fei even quipped:
“Two Inner Mongolians are grilling steak here!”2
Following their joint feast, on November 4th, the Shenzhou-20 and Shenzhou-21 crews conducted a ‘key handover’ ceremony to transfer management and custodianship of Tiangong to Zhang Lu and his two crewmates. This also confirms that the new crew has properly adapted to microgravity for their six-month mission.
Now relieved of their duties within the station, the Shenzhou-20 crew has just over a day left in space. Notices suggest that Chen, Chen, and Wang will touch down near the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, within their spacecraft reentry module, on November 5th between 20:20 and 20:50 pm China Standard Time (12:20 and 12:50 pm Universal Coordinated Time). Once on Earth, Chen Dong will have spent 408 days in space, a new national record. Final rehearsals by recovery teams have recently been concluded in preparation.
Returning to Earth alongside Shenzhou-20’s taikonauts are the first rodent residents, with two male and two female mice, of China’s space station, sent up with Shenzhou-21. They are part of a five-day-long experiment to study their behaviours in microgravity as well as to examine the changes to their organic tissues and mammalian organs. To fly for five days, the four mice went through a rigorous selection and training program, beating a few hundred other candidates.
While the Shenzhou-21 trio is inhabiting the orbiting laboratory for the next six months, twenty-seven experiments are set to be conducted across areas of space life science and biotechnology, space medicine, space material science, microgravity fluid physics and combustion, and new space technology. Besides experiments, the trio will conduct spacewalks to install hardware and inspect the Tianhe, Wentian, and Mengtian modules. They will also oversee the arrival of the Tianzhou-10 cargo spacecraft no later than May.
Who’s on Tiangong?
Shenzhou-21
Zhang Lu (张陆)
Zhang Lu is the Commander and Pilot of the mission for his second spaceflight, having flown for the Shenzhou-15 mission between November 2022 and June 2023. He is from Hanshou County (汉寿县), Hunan (湖南) province, and was selected as part of China’s second taikonaut group in 2010, also being considered a ‘post-70s’ taikonaut having been born in November 1976.
Before becoming a taikonaut, Zhang served in the People’s Liberation Army Air Force and achieved the rank of Senior Colonel. He also joined the Communist Party of China in April 1999. After the Shenzhou-15 mission, Zhang was awarded the Spaceflight Merit Medal (Third Class) along with the honorary title of hero taikonaut.
Wu Fei (武飞)
Wu Fei is the Flight Engineer for this mission, which will be his first trip into space. He is from Baotou (包头市 / ᠪᠤᠭᠤᠲᠤᠬᠣᠲᠠ), in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (内蒙古自治区 / ᠥᠪᠥᠷ ᠮᠣᠩᠭᠣᠯ ᠤᠨ ᠤᠨᠥᠪᠡᠷᠲᠡᠭᠨ ᠵᠠᠰᠠᠬᠤ ᠣᠷᠣᠨ), and was selected as part of the third taikonaut group in October 2020, while being considered a ‘post-90s’ taikonaut having been born in 1993.
Before his selection as a taikonaut, Wu was an engineer at the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. He also joined the Communist Party of China in 2015.
Zhang Hongzhang (张洪章)
Zhang Hongzhang is the Payload Expert for this mission, with it being his first trip to space. He is from Binzhou (滨州市), Shandong (山东) province, and was also selected as part of the third taikonaut group in October 2020, while being considered a ‘post-80s’ taikonaut having been born in 1986.
Prior to being selected as a taikonaut, Zhang was a researcher at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院大连化学物理研究所), where he explored new materials and technology for batteries. He also joined the Communist Party of China in 2004.
Shenzhou-20
Chen Dong (陈冬)
For his third spaceflight, having flown for the Shenzhou-11 and Shenzhou-14 missions, Chen Dong of Luoyang (洛阳市), Henan (河南) province, born December 1978, is the Commander for the Shenzhou-20 mission. Chen was selected as a taikonaut in 2010 as part of the second batch.
Prior to his space career, Chen enlisted in the People’s Liberation Army Air Force in 1997 and joined the Communist Party of China in 1999. Following the Shenzhou-11 mission, he was awarded the Spaceflight Merit Medal (Third Class) along with the honorary title of hero taikonaut in 2016.
Chen Zhongrui (陈中瑞)
For his first spaceflight, Chen Zhongrui of Puyang (濮阳市), Henan (河南) province, born October 1984, is the Operator for the Shenzhou-20 mission. Chen was selected as a taikonaut in 2020 as part of the third batch.
Prior to his space career, Chen enlisted in the People’s Liberation Army Air Force in 2003 and joined the Communist Party of China in 2005.
Wang Jie (王杰)
For his first spaceflight, Wang Jie of Bayannur (巴彦淖尔市 / ᠪᠠᠶᠠᠨᠨᠠᠭᠤᠷ ᠬᠣᠲᠠ), in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (内蒙古自治区 / ᠥᠪᠥᠷ ᠮᠣᠩᠭᠣᠯ ᠤᠨ ᠤᠨᠥᠪᠡᠷᠲᠡᠭᠨ ᠵᠠᠰᠠᠬᠤ ᠣᠷᠣᠨ), born September 1989, is the Science Operator for the Shenzhou-20 mission. Wang was selected as a taikonaut in 2020 as part of the third batch.
Prior to his space career, Wang was an engineer from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation and joined the Communist Party of China in 2009.
The International Space Station also has an oven, albeit an experimental one used to bake cookies.