Commander Senior Colonel Chen Dong and crewmates Colonel Chen Zhongrui and Colonel Wang Jie moved the suits, delivered by the Tianzhou 9 cargo craft, to the spacewalk preparation quarters and carried out functional inspections.

These second-generation suits will replace the current set, used for 21 Chinese spacewalks. Designers state the new models offer extended service life, enhanced safety and reliability, and improved ease of operation and maintenance compared with the retired first-generation suits.

Alongside suit preparations, the crew began a scientific study using organ-on-a-chip technology to examine the effects of space conditions on the human blood-brain barrier and brain function at cellular, tissue, and organ levels. The goal is to forecast health risks and create countermeasures for extended missions.

The astronauts also researched bone metabolism and flora-nutrition metabolism, with Chen Dong employing a Raman spectrometer to analyze urinary metabolites. Throat swabs were exchanged to investigate how onboard respiratory microbes may influence crew respiratory health, with samples stored for return to Earth.

In spacecraft systems work, the crew tested cabin microbial control by measuring bacteria levels before and after disinfection, installed equipment to validate a microbial fuel cell-based wastewater purification system, and replaced burners used in combustion experiments.

They also initiated trials of an in-orbit mixed reality training device and installed and tested a specialized refrigerator in the Wentian lab module.

The crew has now been aboard Tiangong for more than three months since arriving on April 25.

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China Manned Space Agency
The Chinese Space Program - News, Policy and Technology
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