March 29, 2024

Stuffed cow guards China’s space station ahead of Shenzhou 13 crew arrival next month

There are no astronauts currently aboard Chinas brand-new space station, but a stowaway on a recent freight mission is now living in the orbital outpost.Cameras aboard the Tianzhou 3 freight spacecraft reveal a stuffed toy cow tucked away among supplies and equipment. Tianzhou 3 docked with the Tianhe module, the core module of Chinas Tiangong area station, on Sept. 20 in preparation for the upcoming Shenzhou 13 crewed mission, which is currently scheduled to launch Oct. 16. (Image credit: CCTV)The plushie is likewise strapped in, rather than being a “zero-g indicator,” as seen on some American missions, that would begin to drift when experiencing weightlessness, or microgravity.And it is not the first to check out Chinas area station.