First official appearance after returning to Earth 57 days later! Divine Fifteen Crew's Four Departures Details Revealed | Fei Junlong | Details

On July 31, 2023, at the Beijing Aerospace City, astronauts Fei Junlong, Deng Qingming, and Zhang Lu from Shenzhou-15 officially met with the media and the public for the first time 57 days after returning to Earth.

Astronaut Fei Junlong, who flew into space again after 17 years and served as the commander, shared his insights and experiences.

Fei Junlong: We always have the determination and confidence to pursue space exploration. This is the constant preparation of all astronauts to embark on another expedition to space for our motherland. This confidence and determination will not change.

Fei Junlong: To be honest, I never thought about it, because especially when important tasks come, all I think is, is there me? Can I go? This is what I think the most. I never thought about whether I should fly or not? Sometimes, even when I walk, I unconsciously look at the sky.

Fei Junlong: When I look at the sky, I want to fly on it, and I have this feeling of flying on it. I had several dreams when I came back this time, and during the recovery process, I was still dreaming. I also told my partner that the task was not completed yet, it was still being assessed, and I was preparing to fly. She said that it meant you still wanted to fly.

On November 29, 2022, Fei Junlong, Deng Qingming, and Zhang Lu embarked on a 6-month flying trip, which was the oldest average age astronaut crew to date and also known as the "Dream Team" by netizens.

57 year old commander Fei Junlong once carried out the Shenzhou-6 flight mission; Deng Qingming, 56 years old, was one of the first astronauts in China. After 24 years of perseverance, he finally obtained a space entry ticket; 46 year old Zhang Lu was the second batch of astronauts in China, preparing for 12 years and making his space debut.

Deng Qingming: I want to fly, I want to execute this goal, and I have not failed. I have been running and chasing after the light. When you persist to a certain extent, you will find that many people are persisting for you, and your comrades and leaders are persisting for you. Once you give up, others will definitely give up on you, and you will feel that this persistence is powerful.

Zhang Lu: For me, seeing my six comrades in the same group go on missions one after another, I don't have too much anxiety in my heart. There may be some small ones. But in this process, I didn't just think about these things, maybe more of it was to do my job well and train myself well. So, in fact, being able to carry out the Shenzhou 15 mission may be the best arrangement for me.

The Shenzhou-15 mission is the final battle of China's space station construction phase and plays an important role in bridging the gap between the past and the future.

On November 30, 2022, the Shenzhou 15 crew and the Shenzhou XIV crew successfully "met in space", realizing the first on orbit rotation of astronaut crew, and starting the era of long-term manned presence in the Chinese space station.

As the first crew to visit after the completion of in orbit construction of the space station, Shenzhou-15 needs to complete the long-term residency verification of the three modules of the space station, which significantly increases the management workload for spacecraft operation and maintenance. In addition, the task also planned to carry out four extravehicular activities.

At 17:10 on February 9, 2023, Fei Junlong and Zhang Lu successfully exited the airlock door of the Wentian experimental module.

This is their first spacewalk, with Fei Junlong carrying equipment and tools to transfer between the cabin sections using a combination of large and small robotic arms, while Zhang Lu crawled along the cabin wall to the work site.

In this outbound mission, Fei Junlong and Zhang Lu need to transfer between the Wentian experimental module, Mengtian experimental module, and Tianhe core module. This is the first large-scale operation across the three modules of the space station after the completion of the construction of the three module combination. Their first task is to complete the installation work of the expansion pump group in the Mengtian experimental module. According to the task division, Fei Junlong is responsible for installing the equipment, Zhang Lu assists in observing the alignment of the equipment on the armrest of the cabin wall, and Deng Qingming is located at the position of the mechanical arm operation platform inside the module, closely monitoring the operations of the two teammates outside the module.

After successfully completing the installation and debugging of the expansion pump group in the Dream Sky experimental module, Fei Junlong needs to transfer to the Tianhe core module, remove the foot limiters from the toolbox outside the node module, and return to the Dream Sky experimental module to install them in the designated position for the second time when installing large equipment outside the module. For the first time, Fei Junlong held a large foot limiter and an extravehicular operating platform for large-scale transfer, which raised higher requirements for task safety.

At 0:16 on February 10, 2023, after completing all the established tasks, Fei Junlong and Zhang Lu safely returned to the Wentian experimental module. The extravehicular activity was a complete success, marking the first true "three module" operation of Chinese astronauts.

20 days later, on March 2, 2023, Fei Junlong and Zhang Lu left the spacecraft again to carry out tasks such as installing external equipment on the space station. After leaving the cabin, Fei Junlong and Zhang Lu first used the handrail outside the cabin to autonomously transfer to the work site. During the crawling process, every time a handrail is moved, Fei Junlong must sequentially remove the two safety rope hooks from the previous handrail and hang them onto the next handrail. Repeatedly removing and hanging the hooks poses a significant challenge to the astronaut's upper limb strength.

The device that Fei Junlong and Zhang Lu need to install for the second time out of the cabin has about 20 plugs, which have protective covers. When installing, the protective covers need to be removed first, and then the plugs need to be plugged in. During the insertion process, a power on test is also required.

For this task, Fei Junlong and Zhang Lu had many expectations, but the first problem they encountered outside the cabin caught them off guard.

Fei Junlong: Because this device is special, there is no restriction on the body's strength around it.

Fei Junlong: Yes, your legs are still floating there, so all you need to do in the air is push up and insert the plug, and the person will float. It's like a lever principle, grabbing it while exerting force on this side, and the person will spin around it.

Zhang Lu: At that time, he told me, could you hold onto my feet? I said no, I can't hold it. Why? I can only reach his feet, I can't reach his legs because I can't get on because two clothes cannot overlap, and my hand cannot reach over. After putting on the clothes, the length of my hand can only reach this position, which may be less than half a meter from my chest. Therefore, I can only use one hand to hold the handrail and then use another hand to support him.

Zhang Lu: Almost no help, just think about it. I used one hand to control my body and the other hand to support him, but I couldn't control it either.

Fei Junlong: In the end, I will use this wrist as a lever.

To stabilize his body and carry out refined homework, Fei Junlong's physical energy consumption is very high, and he has to rest a few times midway.

Zhang Lu: Fei Junlong only used two fingers to unplug the plug and then plug it in. Indeed, this process may not be accessible to the outside body, but I know it is particularly tiring. This kind of fatigue doesn't mean I'm carrying a burlap or carrying grains. It's not this kind of fatigue. It could just be a short minute or two, which can make the entire hand muscles stiff, tingling, and increase my heart rate.

Fei Junlong: It's easy to get anxious because if one task is not completed, the next task is equivalent to another delay in time.

Fei Junlong: One is that I am relatively more proficient in plugging and unplugging compared to the latter, because with the previous experience; The second one happened to be when we were about to alternate. While Zhang Lu was waiting there, I asked him to go back first. Originally, he was going to help, but later I said I would do it alone, so I asked him to go back. If I continue to follow this, he will help and go back after finishing, it will be an hour later. So I told the commander, I said you let him go back first, and I will do it alone.

Zhang Lu: At that time, the commander was more concerned about saving my energy, so he asked me to go over and put on the robotic arm as soon as possible. As long as the robotic arm was put on, I could still help him on it. If I had swapped with him at that time and consumed too much energy, the situation might have been different.

Fortunately, after completing all the scheduled extravehicular tasks, Fei Junlong and Zhang Lu returned to the airlock of the Wentian experimental module a little earlier than scheduled. On March 30, 2023, Fei Junlong and Zhang Lu teamed up again to carry out the third extravehicular activity and completed the task of installing and connecting cross cabin cables. There are more than 40 plugs at both ends of the cross cabin cable, which makes the work intensity and difficulty greater than the previous time.

Fei Junlong and Zhang Lu successfully completed this task in a way they had not trained before. Half a month later, on April 15, 2023, the Shenzhou-15 crew carried out their fourth extravehicular activity, which was the last extravehicular activity of the Shenzhou-15 crew and broke the record for individual extravehicular activities of Chinese astronauts. Fei Junlong and Zhang Lu are still executing the outbound mission, with Deng Qingming supporting them inside the cabin.

Since being selected as one of China's first astronauts in 1998, Deng Qingming has been selected as a backup astronaut for the Shenzhou 9, Shenzhou 10, and Shenzhou 11 missions for 24 years. Among the first batch of 14 astronauts who entered the astronaut team side by side, 8 achieved their dreams in space, and 5 were suspended and left the team in 2014. Deng Qingming became the only active astronaut at that time who had not carried out any flying missions but still participated in learning, training, and mission preparation.

Deng Qingming: Waiting is a very long process, especially when you miss the task and stop at the launch tower. Sometimes your mood can be quite uncomfortable, but what is the way to deal with it? I have no other choice, I can only wait for the next time. Even if there are tears, I cannot shed them. I always believe that I still have a chance. Can I give up? My family has also been persisting with me, and I have no reason to give up. I must persist, and I will pursue this dream.

Deng Qingming: Others also asked me this question, and I answered him in one sentence: the sky has no trace, birds have flown over, the water has no waves, and fish have swam over. In fact, as long as you work hard, struggle, and strive, you will actually gain something.

In this mission, with the support of a combination of large and small robotic arms, astronauts were transported from the "Wentian" airlock to the "Mengtian" payload module operation point, which is the farthest reach of the Mengtian module that astronauts have reached by crew so far.

Fei Junlong: To be honest, I feel that going out of the cabin is quite enjoyable for me, especially after four exits. I don't feel very satisfied with the entire task process. Our ground training may be even more complex than this, but overall, I feel that this task may not have reached its limit for me.

Fei Junlong: Whether it's physical strength or ability, after the fourth time installing the platform, when the robotic arm walks back, it happens to be at the highest point of the upper and lower arms. I am directly above the space station, and looking down is the space station, and below the space station is the Earth. I look back on that scene now and it's very uplifting and shocking. At that time, when I saw the space station standing against the backdrop of the Earth, it was very beautiful. I could see the Earth behind the space station, and it was an honor. At that time, we passed over the airspace of our motherland.

Fei Junlong: I really miss it, maybe it's because I didn't take a good look in the first three times, and before closing the door in the end, I still have to take a good look.

Fei Junlong: One is all my efforts, all my efforts are worth it, and I have completed the mission. I think I have also left the footprints of Chinese people in space, and our space station has been built. When looking back at our beautiful home, I feel that if we could do something for humanity, we would have no regrets in the future.

Zhang Lu: For the last time, I took a very serious look at the scenery outside the cabin. At the last moment, I entered the airlock and felt reluctant to part. I whispered goodbye to myself. In fact, this goodbye was a farewell to the four extravehicular missions, a farewell to the space station, and an expectation for the next mission. Goodbye to the space station, so at that moment, I had already thought of it and I would come back again.

In addition to four extravehicular activities, the crew of Shenzhou-15 also completed 6 cargo extravehicular activities, installation and debugging of 15 scientific experimental cabinets, and conducted more than 40 large-scale space science and aerospace medicine experiments, creating multiple "firsts": for the first time during space flight, three-dimensional images of the astronaut's skin epidermis and superficial dermis were obtained using a two-photon microscope; The first in orbit validation of the Stirling thermoelectric conversion test device; The experimental system in the combustion science cabinet of the Dream Chamber has successfully conducted its first in orbit ignition test.

During busy work breaks, Deng Qingming and Fei Junlong celebrated their birthdays in space.

Zhang Lu: Their birthdays were all designed by me, and their first birthday was Deng Qingming. We had very limited fruit from the ground, apples. After nearly 5 months, there were almost no apples left, only five or six. So I took one of my apples at that time. Deng Qingming happened to come out of the bathroom, and I waited for him with a camera. When he came out, I said Deng Qingming, and he turned around. I said, "Then, I threw him an apple." Deng Qingming said, "What's wrong?" I said, "Happy birthday," and Deng Qingming was completely confused.

Deng Qingming: Very happy and also very good.

When Fei Junlong celebrated his birthday in space, Zhang Lu played a happy birthday song on his harmonica. He once had a dream of music and even wrote a song called "Ambition" specifically for the Shenzhou-15 mission.

Zhang Lu: Actually, the most comfortable time for me when I was on the space station was when I went to bed at night, pulled up the sleeping curtain in my sleeping area, opened the porthole, played the harmonica, and looked at the stars outside the window. I didn't celebrate my birthday, but I experienced my 20th wedding anniversary. On May 3rd, it was the 20th anniversary of our marriage. I asked my friends to compose a piano piece for me and wrote four sentences: "The mountains and rivers are far and wide, the stars and rivers in the world are all yours, and none is not you." I then composed these four sentences into a song. At that time, just before our wedding anniversary, I recorded a video, said a few words, and sang this song. Later, I named this song "Missing". In fact, this song is not only written for my lover, but also for our 20th wedding anniversary. What I want to do more is to give this song to all the technology workers who contribute to the manned space industry, write it for the people they love, and sing it for the space industry that we both love.

On May 30, 2023, the Shenzhou-15 crew successfully opened their "home" and welcomed the Shenzhou-16 crew from afar to settle in the "Heavenly Palace". On June 2, 2023, the Shenzhou-15 and Shenzhou-16 crew conducted a handover ceremony at the space station. The Shenzhou-15 crew completed the final leg of the space station construction phase and handed over the first leg of the space station's application and development phase to the Shenzhou-16 crew. The next day, Shenzhou-15 departed from the space station with its teammates and set off to return to Earth.

Deng Qingming: I am very happy. I was able to complete the task so well, return to the ground so healthily, embrace the Earth, and see my loved ones. It is indeed very happy. I drew a perfect ending for myself, and I feel very fulfilled.

Deng Qingming: My achievement is that I have fulfilled my dreams. I also want to say that I have become a role model for my children, a role model for my younger siblings, and a role model for my grandchildren. In the future, I hope he can become a role model for my grandchildren and grandchildren. I hope he can persist in something like his grandfather, not giving up. At the same time, I tell them that there is always a kind of persistence in life, waiting for the most beautiful flowers to bloom. This is my experience, and I feel that I have already waited for the most beautiful flowers to bloom.

At 6:33 am on June 4, 2023, the return module of the Shenzhou-15 manned spacecraft successfully landed at the Dongfeng landing site, marking the successful completion of the Shenzhou-15 manned flight mission. In less than 31 years, from the official approval of China's manned spaceflight project, to the full completion of China's space station, and then to the entry of the space station into the stage of application and development, China's manned spaceflight has achieved the dreams of generations of astronauts who have built stations for shipbuilding and applications.

Fei Junlong: The space station has been fully built in our hands, and we want to create a platform for future application and development stages that can truly start scientific experiments. In the future, a large number of scientific experiments have truly begun, and such a large project in our country has played a significant role in it, benefiting us humanity.