BEIJING, April 13 (Xinhua) -- The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) has released a new video diary offering a detailed look at the daily work of the three Shenzhou-21 astronauts aboard the Tiangong space station, with a focus on a series of advanced aerospace medical experiments conducted 160 days into their mission.
In the video released on Sunday, astronauts Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang can be seen conducting a variety of in-orbit tasks. Wearing blue short-sleeved polo shirts, they move with practiced ease between equipment racks, handling samples and inspecting hardware.
The crew members remain in good physical condition and continue to work with high coordination and motivation, the CMSA said.
The astronaut trio has completed a series of cognitive function and emergency decision-making tests, as part of ongoing efforts to monitor how long-term spaceflight affects human performance in isolation and microgravity, according to the CMSA.
In the video, a key highlight is the crew's use of a space Raman spectrometer to analyze the metabolic components of urine samples. The data collected will help refine metabolic indicator systems and evaluation criteria for astronaut health during long-duration spaceflight.
The three astronauts also collected and froze saliva samples, which will be analyzed on the ground to help researchers study gut flora and digestive function.
The astronauts completed blood sample collection according to experimental plans covering bone metabolism regulation, integrative omics and sleep rhythms in space. They used a centrifuge to process the samples before storing them for return to Earth.
In the field of microgravity physical sciences, the crew replaced samples in the fluid physics experiment cabinet, exchanged burners and gas cylinders in the combustion science cabinet, and cleaned samples from the containerless experiment chamber.
The astronauts were also seen maintaining their health by exercising on a treadmill and using resistance bands in the microgravity environment.
The Shenzhou-21 manned spacecraft was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on Oct. 31, 2025. The Shenzhou-21 crew completed their mission's first series of extravehicular activities (EVAs) on Dec. 9 last year and the second on March 16. ■
