Astronauts complete sea survival training in Yantai

Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei (C) takes a sea survival training in waters off the coast of Yantai in East China's Shandong province on Aug 21, 2017. [Photo by Guo Xulei/Xinhua]

A group of 16 Chinese and two European astronauts completed sea survival training in waters off the coast of Yantai in East China's Shandong province on Aug 21.

The 17-day joint program was the first time Chinese astronauts have conducted survival training at sea and also the first time for rescue forces to be involved in a survival training session.

Organized by the Astronaut Center of China (ACC), the program was designed to prepare astronauts with skills including exiting the capsule themselves, survival at sea and rescue.

The Chinese astronauts included Yang Liwei, the first Chinese in the space, and Jing Haipeng, a three-time flyer. The group was divided into six teams during the training, which was designed to improve astronauts' sea survival, decision-making and emergency response capabilities, and to boost their team spirit and collaboration capacity, according to the Chinese agency.

Astronauts are "rescued" during a sea survival training in waters off the coast of Yantai in East China's Shandong province on Aug 21, 2017. [Photo by Guo Xulei/Xinhua]

Each team had three members － one commander and two operators. At the beginning of the training, members of a team would put on their space suits and enter into a mock re-entry capsule of a Shenzhou spacecraft, which was carried by a ship and placed on the sea's surface by a crane.

Once in the water, the astronauts would take off their space suits and put on a rubber suit capable of resisting cold and providing extra buoyancy. Then they would get out of the re-entry capsule to board inflatable boats. Next, they would practice rescue procedures with a rescue ship and later repeat the process with a helicopter.

Through the training, the astronauts learned methods and procedures of exiting the re-entry capsule as it floated in the sea; familiarized themselves with sea survival skills and rescue preparations; and strengthened their ability to cooperate with each other and with rescuers, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

"I am very happy to work with Chinese astronauts," said Matthias Josef Maurer from Germany. "I hope to have more opportunities to come to China and join the training."

Astronauts Matthias Maurer (left), Liu Boming and Ye Guangfu signal for "help" in Monday's training. [Photo/China Daily]

Maurer and Italian Samantha Cristoforetti were the first group of foreign astronauts to join Chinese training since China introduced its manned space program in 1992.

China has signed multiple cooperation agreements with countries such as Russia, Germany and France, and organizations including the European Space Agency (ESA) and United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, according to China Manned Space Engineering Office.

"The training program has provided valuable experience for conducting international cooperation in the field of manned spaceflight," said Huang Weifen, deputy chief designer of the ACC.

Astronauts are "rescued" by a helicopter during a sea survival training in waters off the coast of Yantai in East China's Shandong province on Aug 21, 2017. [Photo by Guo Xulei/Xinhua]