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Friday, February 09, 2024
Shenzhou-17 Crew Reflects on Meaning of Spring Festival to The Chinese People
Shenzhou-17 Crew Reflects on Meaning of Spring Festival to The Chinese People
China's Shenzhou-17 mission crew extended best wishes to Chinese people around the world at the Tiangong Space Station as the Chinese New Year approaches. To celebrate the Chinese New Year, the mission crew wrote Spring Festival couplets, tasted dumplings, and appreciated the panoramic view of the motherland while completing various scientific tasks.
"The whole country celebrates as the Year of the Dragon approaches, and families reunite as spring draws near. The motherland at such moment is really beautiful. This joy and peace is the most precious happiness in our eyes and the warmth that we miss most in our hearts. Although we are far away from our motherland, family and relatives, we have received all the Spring Festival greetings you sent us. We will have a fulfilling and happy Chinese New Year in space," said taikonaut Tang Hongbo.
"At the in-orbit Tiangong space station, we are missing our motherland and our family. Spending the Chinese New Year in space for the first time is a rare life experience. At this moment of family reunion, I miss the rivers and mountains of the motherland and the relatives in my hometown. The twinkling lights of a myriad families at this moment light up the Chinese people's yearning for a better life, but also ignited the enthusiasm of people like us who still stick to their posts," said taikonaut Tang Shengjie.
"On the occasion of the 2024 Chinese New Year, at China's space station that is nearly 400 kilometers away from earth, we wish our great motherland vitality and prosperity, we wish the people of all ethnic groups good luck and good health in the Year of the Dragon," said taikonaut Jiang Xinlin.
"In the new year, let us be full of energy and work together to build and develop our motherland well. The Shenzhou-17 mission crew, from China's space station, wish you all a happy Chinese New Year," said the three crew members.
The Spring Festival, or the Chinese New Year, falls on Feb. 10 this year, marking the arrival of the Year of the Dragon, and is China's most important festival for family reunions.
The Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship was launched into space on Oct. 26 last year, sending three taikonauts of Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin to the Tiangong space station for a six-month mission.
The taikonauts have been stationed at the space station for half of their six-month space mission since the end of October 2023. They completed the crew rotation with the Shenzhou-16 astronauts and have conducted tasks, including space station maintenance, life and health support, spacesuit inspection and testing, a Tianzhou-6 cargo ship equipment inspection and preparation for upcoming spacewalks, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
Shenzhou-17 is the sixth crew of three astronauts on a mission to the China Space Station. Shenzhou-17 is also the twelfth crewed and seventeenth flight overall of China's Shenzhou spaceflight program. Shenzhou-17 also features the youngest crew of any Chinese space mission to date.
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