Chapter 95 - 92 Davarish_1

Zhang Zhiguang extended the mechanical arm almost to its maximum length, occasionally glancing at his left arm, confirming the distance through the camera and sensors on the claw.

He decided to grab somewhere on the orbital module, as the re-entry capsule was too smooth and probably couldn’t be clamped onto.

The Union TMA-17M was still rotating, and Oleg had already seen the claw almost touching the spacecraft, continuously reporting the distance and his suggestions to Commander Li Sheng.

"03! Be ready to make full adjustments with the RCS!"

When the mechanical arm grabbed onto the orbital module, the momentum of the rotation would inevitably cause the Unity to roll irregularly, which would require the RCS to make desperate adjustments to prevent the spacecraft from losing stability.

Zhang Zhiguang secured himself and the Unity a bit more firmly, then gently pushed the joystick to tighten the claw.

In that instant, a torque was exerted on the Unity through the mechanical arm. The regulators on the shuttle’s back desperately ejected gas, but they still couldn’t suppress the spinning tendency.

Deng Lei decisively pressed the switch, and one-time solid rockets on the side of the aircraft sprang into action, erupting with strong thrust and a burst of flames, forcefully correcting the position.

Sitting at the hatch, Zhang Zhiguang secured the mechanical arm, hugged the outer door without letting go, and after a long few seconds of harsh shaking, the Unity finally stabilized again.

Inside the return capsule of the Union TMA-17M, all three had already been braced in their seats, feeling the centrifugal force almost tossing them out, stabilizing only after a series of vibrations.

Through the camera on the shuttle’s back, Zhang Zhiguang released his grip on the hatch and operated the mechanical arm to gently pull the Unity closer to the Union spacecraft.

In the control rooms of numerous space agencies, the people who saw this scene cheered!

"Fantastic! China’s Davarish is amazing!"

"Who will say now ’The Space Shuttle is just an outdated old thing’? America should restart its shuttle program!"

The reactions of NACA and the Russian Space Agency varied, while the European Space Agency and other small countries’ space agencies could only applaud admiringly, envious of the big countries’ capabilities, as even a private space enterprise could achieve such a feat.

But the most excited was certainly Abe, who had also synchronized with the live meeting in Baikonur, feeling that the 8 billion spent on an H1 was a major leap in their space history.

The only one a bit worried was Crown Prince Hamand, who always wanted to go to space, but that wasn’t permissible, not at all halal.

"Ground center, I have captured the Union spacecraft."

After reporting to the ground, Zhang Zhiguang then communicated with the three astronauts in the return capsule about their physical conditions and received the answer that all was well.

"Davarish Zhang, I will depressurize the return capsule and then try to open the hatch."

By this time, the Union spacecraft and the Unity were nearly side by side, with Zhang Zhiguang having already released the claw and moved above the return capsule, standing by.

"Proceed, but please be careful!"

Oleg checked the seal on the crew’s spacesuits again, and then without hesitation began the depressurization.

The air inside the return capsule was released, and their spacesuits puffed up under the difference in air pressure, the sleeves expanding almost twice in size, but everything was still normal, as this was what the design accounted for.

Five minutes later, the depressurization was completed, and Oleg felt his body temperature rise slightly. He moved closer to the return capsule’s hatch, which was meant to be opened only upon returning to Earth.

The hatch, which ground control feared might be deformed and jammed, opened smoothly outward.

Zhang Zhiguang had already seen Oleg’s hand and hurriedly told him to stay still, pulling out three safety tethers and slowly drifting over along the fixed robotic arm.

The moment his hand reached the hatch of the return capsule, Oleg poked out half of his body and wrapped his arms around Zhang Zhiguang’s waist to prevent further drifting; on the back of the Unity, they appeared to embrace each other closely.

This scene immediately caused a sensation in the live broadcast, and media people covering the event aptly dubbed it "the embrace of the Space Age," a symbol of humanity’s entry into a new era.

Meanwhile, 340,000 meters above the Earth, Oleg and Zhang Zhiguang’s helmet visors touched, and a "Davarish" vibrated through to Zhang Zhiguang’s ears before the electric signal.

Zhang Zhiguang patted Oleg with one hand and then offered the rope in his other hand. Oleg pulled one, wrapped it around his waist, and then carefully extracted his legs from the return capsule.

They had some experience, but Lindgren and Keimei Arii did not. They required guidance to perform the spacewalk.

Inside the crew cabin of the Unity, Li Sheng decisively said,

"There are too many people; I need to exit the cabin to assist!"

Then, with Deng Lei’s help, he began to equip the life support pack, while the outer airlock door closed, the pressure increased, and the inner hatch opened.

When Li Sheng also poked his body out of the external hatch, Keimei Arii and Lindgren had already tied their ropes and were floating above the return capsule with Zhang Zhiguang.

They might have just set another record: five astronauts conducting extravehicular activities simultaneously.

Li Sheng pulled another safety tether from a functional port and secured it on himself, exchanging thumbs up with Zhang Zhiguang to confirm the tethers were tight before pulling Keimei Arii forward.

The latter clung tightly to the rope and obediently let Li Sheng pull her slowly towards Unity. The seven or eight meters felt like a chasm. Keimei Arii, who escaped death by a whisker, made a comical bow in space, constantly muttering "arigato," before Li Sheng stuffed her into the airlock and even stepped on her head with his foot.

Don’t misunderstand; it was merely because Keimei Arii was struggling to get in, and Commander Li was merely helping.

Next were Lindgren, Oleg, and finally, Zhang Zhiguang, followed by the slow retraction of the robotic arm.

In front of the camera, the four astronauts chaotically formed a line, with Keimei also poking out half of her body. The camera mounted on their back captured a space family portrait of four... five people.

Historic images were created one after another, and then they began to enter the cabin in succession.

Lindgren and Keimei Arii entered the airlock first, which could accommodate only two astronauts at a time. Li Sheng, Zhang Zhiguang, and Oleg were left floating on the back of Unity.

The sequence of closing the outer airlock door, pressurizing, opening the inner hatch, closing the inner hatch, depressurizing, and opening the outer hatch took more than ten minutes. The three outside formed a circle, listening to Oleg express his feelings.

"Do you know, in 1965, Gemini II conducted humanity’s first spacewalk, and due to a scientific error, the spacecraft’s landing location became uncertain.

Back then, they said from the ground, ’Whatever you do, don’t drift outside of Union’s reach, or it would also be good if you landed in China.’ Fifty years, fifty years have passed, and now a Russian astronaut is going to land in China, Davarish!"

"We will welcome you too, Davarish! Whether it’s half a century ago or half a century from now, we are friends!"