Chinese astronauts accept 1st earth-space interview

Chinese astronauts Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong talk with their copy desk on earth for the first time on Tuesday. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chen Dong: I feel a bit reluctant to depart but I also feel happy and thrilled. I feel reluctant because soon we will be leaving Tiangong-2, where we have lived and worked for 30 days. It is like our home in space so I still have a sense of reluctance and attachment. I feel happy and thrilled because we are getting back to our "big family" soon, back to our Earth, and back to our motherland. We will get the rest of the work done well, accomplish the mission safely and return to our motherland and home.

Li Keyong: What work do you still need to do?

Jing Haipeng: All work is progressing on schedule. There is also some preparatory work to be done: first, recovering experimental data; second, cleaning up the compartment; third, setting up the conditions before leaving Tiangong.

Most of the experiments have been completed and some data transmitted back to Earth. The rest is saved on memory cards to be taken back to earth due to the large size of the data set. Vegetables grown in space and the silkworm cocoons will also be brought back. Urine and saliva samples, as well as microorganisms sampled before leaving orbit will also be brought back onto the ground for analysis.

Chen Dong: One of the tasks for compartment clean-up is moving out, like packing. When we entered Tiangong-2, we moved many things in including our necessities and experimental items, in all sizes. The bicycle which we use to exercise was unfolded in orbit. That was equal to decorating a home in space. Now we are moving back to Earth and need to put some items back where they should be. Some items need binding while aboard Tiangong and the work is time-consuming.

Zhang Jianli (expert with Astronaut Center of China): Some items had been installed before launch and were unwrapped in orbit. It is as complex to re-pack as to unpack them. In fact, as some experiments ended early, the packing has been going on for a while.

Chen Dong: Packing in space is strenuous. Both people and ropes are floating. When one end is tied, the other end of the rope flies. But carelessness is not allowed in packing. There are clear requirements on how an item should be packed, including what a packed item should look like, where it should be placed, and even whether an item should be wrapped horizontally or slantwise.