Shenzhou-19 crew achieves key breakthroughs in past five months

Aboard China's Tiangong space station, the Shenzhou-19 crew has achieved significant breakthroughs over the past five months in space science, technology validation, and space medicine research.

Astronauts Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, entered China's space station for a six-month spaceflight on Oct 30 last year.

Over the past nearly five months, various space science experiments and technology tests have been progressing smoothly.

In the field of space life sciences, the crew completed the first-ever fruit fly cultivation research in orbit. Additionally, the crew also conducted in orbit experiments on protein crystallization and five types of cells, providing important insights into the life sciences in the microgravity environment.

In the field of materials science, they carried out a number of metal and non-metal experiments in the containerless experiment cabinet and the high temperature scientific experiment cabinet.

"It is worth mentioning that we will be conducting an experiment with a maximum temperature of 3000 degrees Celsius, using the containerless experiment cabinet. In the fields of microgravity fluid physics and combustion science, we have collaborated with the European Space Agency on research related to soft matter and complex fluids. By leveraging the different experimental conditions of China's space station and the International Space Station, we conduct scientific research in related fields in a complementary manner, enabling deeper and more extensive space exploration," said Wang Yifeng, an engineer at the Technology and Engineering Centre for Space Utilization, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

In the field of space medicine, the Shenzhou-19 mission has established a new health assessment system for astronauts in a microgravity environment. This system closely monitors astronauts’ physical and psychological conditions, tracks key indicators such as cardiac health, bone density, muscle condition, and emotional well-being, and integrates traditional Chinese and Western medicine.

During their stay, the crew will conduct a total of 86 key space scientific experiments and tests.

The Shenzhou-19 crew is expected to return to Earth in just over a month.

Shenzhou-19 crew achieves key breakthroughs in past five months

Shenzhou-19 crew achieves key breakthroughs in past five months

Expelled South African Ambassador to the United States Ebrahim Rasool said on Sunday that he returned home with "no regrets".

Rasool and his wife Rosieda Shabodien received a hero's welcome by hundreds of supporters after emerging in the arrivals terminal of Cape Town International Airport.

"Rosieda and I have just traveled about 32 hours from the United States via Doha to Cape Town. It was not our choice to come home, but we come home with no regrets," he told the welcoming crowd.

Earlier this month, Rasool, 62, was declared "persona non grata" by the U.S. after Secretary of State Marco Rubio called him a "race-baiting politician who hates America". It followed earlier remarks the ambassador had made during a webinar hosted by the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection, a South African think tank, in which he criticized President Donald Trump.

Addressing around 300 supporters at the airport, Rasool stated that while being labeled a "persona non grata" was meant to humiliate him, the warm reception turned it into a badge of honor.

He said that the United States took action to expel him in attempt to undermine South Africa's resolve to pursue an independent foreign policy, but South Africa will not change its stance under external pressure, and will continue to uphold independence and firm principles in international affairs.

Rasool said that South Africa has to rebuild and mend its relationship with the United States, as the foundation of relations between the two countries lies in their people, not merely in government-to-government exchanges.

Expelled South African ambassador to US returns home with 'no regrets'