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China-Shenzhou-19/Spacewalk/Astronaut
FILE: In Space - Date Unknown (China Manned Space Agency - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of astronauts opening hatch door, carrying out spacewalk
Beijing, China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Song Lingdong, astronaut, Shenzhou-19 mission (starting with shot 1):
"In our three EVAs, the transfer of equipment was always extensive and demanding. That included the cameras we used for inspections, power tools, and various payloads mounted outside the cabin. All of them had to be manually transferred, back and forth. In my first time, I wasn't very familiar with it - I would bump against the cabin walls, and getting in and out was quite difficult. But with that first experience under my belt, by the time I climbed out of the cabin for my third EVA, I had gained the experience and could carry it out smoothly and naturally."
FILE: In Space - Date Unknown (China Manned Space Agency - No access Chinese mainland)
3. Various of astronauts carrying out spacewalk
Beijing, China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
4. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Song Lingdong, astronaut, Shenzhou-19 mission (ending with shot 5):
"Because I was responsible for the platform, I spent every bit of my preparation time inside the cabin constantly running it through in my mind. On the ground, Shuguang (meaning 'dawn' in Chinese, a cross-system and cross-departmental EVA support) and I kept rehearsing - how to get this L-shaped platform outside in a steady manner. It really tests my ability to control the equipment and my own posture. Because I need to do it one-handed, with no other point of support. With one hand gripping the cabin wall, my other hand had to slowly remove the equipment. After detaching it, I had to carefully rotate it. This process also required me to switch hands. The operating platform is bulky, so I had to change hands slowly, as I couldn't let it drift. To me, it felt like holding my son for the very first time."
FILE: In Space - Date Unknown (China Manned Space Agency - No access Chinese mainland)
5. Various of astronauts carrying out spacewalk
Beijing, China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
6. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Song Lingdong, astronaut, Shenzhou-19 mission:
"The coordination between me and Cai was exceptional. We came up with many contingency plans — what if it drifted? What if we lost grip or it bumped inside the cabin? In the end, our execution was extremely steady. When the platform came out of the cabin, Cai caught it firmly. Then we passed it off between each other. When we reviewed it later, Shuguang told me that everyone was holding their breath watching, terrified that the operation platform might drift out of control."
FILE: In Space - Date Unknown (China Manned Space Agency - No access Chinese mainland)
7. Various of astronauts carrying out spacewalk
Beijing, China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
8. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Song Lingdong, astronaut, Shenzhou-19 mission (partially overlaid with shot 9):
"We can't fully simulate these scenarios on the ground. The preparation process leading up to it was very long - we spent a great deal of time thinking through every step inside the cabin. But when the moment came, the task itself was done in just a minute or two. It's exactly like what they say - 10 years of effort off-stage, for two minutes of brilliance on-stage."
++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
FILE: In Space - Date Unknown (China Manned Space Agency - No access Chinese mainland)
9. EVAs in progress
++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
FILE: China - Date Unknown (China Manned Space Agency - No access Chinese mainland)
10. Various of Song in training
Chinese astronaut Song Lingdong revealed the intense preparations and rigorous training he'd undergone in order to perform multiple extravehicular activities (EVAs) during the country's Shenzhou-19 crewed mission.
During the Shenzhou-19 mission, Song participated in three EVAs, each involving the complex task of manually transferring a wide range of equipment outside the spacecraft.
"In our three EVAs, the transfer of equipment was always extensive and demanding. That included the cameras we used for inspections, power tools, and various payloads mounted outside the cabin. All of them had to be manually transferred, back and forth. In my first time, I wasn't very familiar with it - I would bump against the cabin walls, and getting in and out was quite difficult. But with that first experience under my belt, by the time I climbed out of the cabin for my third EVA, I had gained the experience and could carry it out smoothly and naturally," Song recalled.
To master such delicate operations in space, Song devoted himself to repeated rehearsals and scenario simulations with the ground support team — a process that involved both mental visualization and physical memorization of every detail.
On March 21, Shenzhou-19 crew members aboard China's orbiting space station completed their third EVAs.
This spacewalk featured a large number of extravehicular devices, many of which were of considerable size, with numerous installation points.
Among them, an L-shaped operation platform, with a height of over two meters, was quite challenging for Song.
Such a large facility, if steered off course during handover, would need considerable extra time to bring it back on track. At the same time, the risk of collision would also increase.
"Because I was responsible for the platform, I spent every bit of my preparation time inside the cabin constantly running it through in my mind. On the ground, Shuguang (meaning 'dawn' in Chinese, a cross-system and cross-departmental EVA support) and I kept rehearsing - how to get this L-shaped platform outside in a steady manner. It really tests my ability to control the equipment and my own posture. Because I need to do it one-handed, with no other point of support. With one hand gripping the cabin wall, my other hand had to slowly remove the equipment. After detaching it, I had to carefully rotate it. This process also required me to switch hands. The operating platform is bulky, so I had to change hands slowly, as I couldn't let it drift. To me, it felt like holding my son for the very first time," said Song.
Every movement in space is the product of months of behind-the-scenes coordination, and success depends heavily on seamless cooperation.
Song highlighted the strong teamwork he built with fellow astronaut Cai Xuzhe - a partnership forged through careful planning and deep trust.
"The coordination between me and Cai was exceptional. We came up with many contingency plans — what if it drifted? What if we lost grip or it bumped inside the cabin? In the end, our execution was extremely steady. When the platform came out of the cabin, Cai caught it firmly. Then we passed it off between each other. When we reviewed it later, Shuguang told me that everyone was holding their breath watching, terrified that the operation platform might drift out of control," Song said.
While ground-based simulators help astronauts prepare, nothing can fully replicate the complex conditions of actual space operations.
Song emphasized that it is the long and careful preparation inside the spacecraft that enables those few minutes outside to succeed.
"We can't fully simulate these scenarios on the ground. The preparation process leading up to it was very long - we spent a great deal of time thinking through every step inside the cabin. But when the moment came, the task itself was done in just a minute or two. It's exactly like what they say - 10 years of effort off-stage, for two minutes of brilliance on-stage," said Song.
China-Shenzhou-19/Spacewalk/Astronaut
Dateline : Recent/File
Location : China
Duration : 2'41
FILE: In Space - Date Unknown (China Manned Space Agency - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of astronauts opening hatch door, carrying out spacewalk
Beijing, China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Song Lingdong, astronaut, Shenzhou-19 mission (starting with shot 1):
"In our three EVAs, the transfer of equipment was always extensive and demanding. That included the cameras we used for inspections, power tools, and various payloads mounted outside the cabin. All of them had to be manually transferred, back and forth. In my first time, I wasn't very familiar with it - I would bump against the cabin walls, and getting in and out was quite difficult. But with that first experience under my belt, by the time I climbed out of the cabin for my third EVA, I had gained the experience and could carry it out smoothly and naturally."
FILE: In Space - Date Unknown (China Manned Space Agency - No access Chinese mainland)
3. Various of astronauts carrying out spacewalk
Beijing, China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
4. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Song Lingdong, astronaut, Shenzhou-19 mission (ending with shot 5):
"Because I was responsible for the platform, I spent every bit of my preparation time inside the cabin constantly running it through in my mind. On the ground, Shuguang (meaning 'dawn' in Chinese, a cross-system and cross-departmental EVA support) and I kept rehearsing - how to get this L-shaped platform outside in a steady manner. It really tests my ability to control the equipment and my own posture. Because I need to do it one-handed, with no other point of support. With one hand gripping the cabin wall, my other hand had to slowly remove the equipment. After detaching it, I had to carefully rotate it. This process also required me to switch hands. The operating platform is bulky, so I had to change hands slowly, as I couldn't let it drift. To me, it felt like holding my son for the very first time."
FILE: In Space - Date Unknown (China Manned Space Agency - No access Chinese mainland)
5. Various of astronauts carrying out spacewalk
Beijing, China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
6. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Song Lingdong, astronaut, Shenzhou-19 mission:
"The coordination between me and Cai was exceptional. We came up with many contingency plans — what if it drifted? What if we lost grip or it bumped inside the cabin? In the end, our execution was extremely steady. When the platform came out of the cabin, Cai caught it firmly. Then we passed it off between each other. When we reviewed it later, Shuguang told me that everyone was holding their breath watching, terrified that the operation platform might drift out of control."
FILE: In Space - Date Unknown (China Manned Space Agency - No access Chinese mainland)
7. Various of astronauts carrying out spacewalk
Beijing, China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
8. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Song Lingdong, astronaut, Shenzhou-19 mission (partially overlaid with shot 9):
"We can't fully simulate these scenarios on the ground. The preparation process leading up to it was very long - we spent a great deal of time thinking through every step inside the cabin. But when the moment came, the task itself was done in just a minute or two. It's exactly like what they say - 10 years of effort off-stage, for two minutes of brilliance on-stage."
++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
FILE: In Space - Date Unknown (China Manned Space Agency - No access Chinese mainland)
9. EVAs in progress
++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
FILE: China - Date Unknown (China Manned Space Agency - No access Chinese mainland)
10. Various of Song in training
Chinese astronaut Song Lingdong revealed the intense preparations and rigorous training he'd undergone in order to perform multiple extravehicular activities (EVAs) during the country's Shenzhou-19 crewed mission.
During the Shenzhou-19 mission, Song participated in three EVAs, each involving the complex task of manually transferring a wide range of equipment outside the spacecraft.
"In our three EVAs, the transfer of equipment was always extensive and demanding. That included the cameras we used for inspections, power tools, and various payloads mounted outside the cabin. All of them had to be manually transferred, back and forth. In my first time, I wasn't very familiar with it - I would bump against the cabin walls, and getting in and out was quite difficult. But with that first experience under my belt, by the time I climbed out of the cabin for my third EVA, I had gained the experience and could carry it out smoothly and naturally," Song recalled.
To master such delicate operations in space, Song devoted himself to repeated rehearsals and scenario simulations with the ground support team — a process that involved both mental visualization and physical memorization of every detail.
On March 21, Shenzhou-19 crew members aboard China's orbiting space station completed their third EVAs.
This spacewalk featured a large number of extravehicular devices, many of which were of considerable size, with numerous installation points.
Among them, an L-shaped operation platform, with a height of over two meters, was quite challenging for Song.
Such a large facility, if steered off course during handover, would need considerable extra time to bring it back on track. At the same time, the risk of collision would also increase.
"Because I was responsible for the platform, I spent every bit of my preparation time inside the cabin constantly running it through in my mind. On the ground, Shuguang (meaning 'dawn' in Chinese, a cross-system and cross-departmental EVA support) and I kept rehearsing - how to get this L-shaped platform outside in a steady manner. It really tests my ability to control the equipment and my own posture. Because I need to do it one-handed, with no other point of support. With one hand gripping the cabin wall, my other hand had to slowly remove the equipment. After detaching it, I had to carefully rotate it. This process also required me to switch hands. The operating platform is bulky, so I had to change hands slowly, as I couldn't let it drift. To me, it felt like holding my son for the very first time," said Song.
Every movement in space is the product of months of behind-the-scenes coordination, and success depends heavily on seamless cooperation.
Song highlighted the strong teamwork he built with fellow astronaut Cai Xuzhe - a partnership forged through careful planning and deep trust.
"The coordination between me and Cai was exceptional. We came up with many contingency plans — what if it drifted? What if we lost grip or it bumped inside the cabin? In the end, our execution was extremely steady. When the platform came out of the cabin, Cai caught it firmly. Then we passed it off between each other. When we reviewed it later, Shuguang told me that everyone was holding their breath watching, terrified that the operation platform might drift out of control," Song said.
While ground-based simulators help astronauts prepare, nothing can fully replicate the complex conditions of actual space operations.
Song emphasized that it is the long and careful preparation inside the spacecraft that enables those few minutes outside to succeed.
"We can't fully simulate these scenarios on the ground. The preparation process leading up to it was very long - we spent a great deal of time thinking through every step inside the cabin. But when the moment came, the task itself was done in just a minute or two. It's exactly like what they say - 10 years of effort off-stage, for two minutes of brilliance on-stage," said Song.
ID : 8438440
Published : 2025-07-28 16:35
Last Modified : 2025-07-28 20:46:24
Source : China Central Television (CCTV)
Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland
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