The three astronauts of the Shenzhou-17 mission, after staying in orbit for 187 days, are all in good health condition, and will enter a period of medical quarantine, according to medics in the Shenzhou-17 search and retrieval team.
On Tuesday, Shenzhou-17's return capsule, carrying astronauts Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin, touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at 17:46 (Beijing Time), according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
Xu Chong, an official from China Astronaut Research and Training Center, introduced that the crew members had received different rounds of health examination before departing for Beijing.
"In terms of the medical supervision and monitoring within the cabin, what we need to do is mostly the judgment of the astronauts' health condition. After making sure that the astronauts are in good condition, we would take the second step in the process of medical supervision right next to the cabin, where we would review and confirm the astronauts' health condition. The final step takes place within the medical supervision and monitoring vehicle behind us. In this vehicle, the astronauts can receive a more systematic and comprehensive physical examination of their physiological data and body fluids, electrocardiogram, their cardiac functions through ultrasound and other means, so as to have a comprehensive assessment of the astronauts' health at the landing site," said Xu.
Xu said that astronauts would undergo physiological changes like body fluid redistribution, muscle atrophy, and bone loss after living and working in a weightless environment for a period of time. When they return to Earth, they may experience temporary discomfort while readjusting to normal gravity.
"Some people may suffer from postural hypotension, that is, a lot of blood pools in the lower limbs, when they stand up quickly after squatting on the ground for a long time. Under such circumstances, the effective blood flow to our brain is relatively insufficient, so symptoms of orthostatic intolerance such as palpitation, dizziness, pale complexion, and slight sweating, may occur," said Xu.
The three-member Shenzhou-17 crew arrived in Beijing by plane early on Wednesday.
The crew will enter a period of medical quarantine and undergo comprehensive medical examinations and health evaluations.
Afterward, they will meet with the press in Beijing.
Shenzhou-17 crew all in good health back on Earth
Shenzhou-17 crew all in good health back on Earth
