BEIJING (AP) — Three Chinese astronauts have returned to Earth after six months aboard China’s newest space station in the longest crewed mission to date for its ambitious space program. State TV showed the Shenzhou 13 space capsule landing in the Gobi desert in the northern region of Inner Mongolia. During the mission, astronaut Wang Yaping carried out the first spacewalk by a Chinese woman. Wang and the two crewmates beamed back physics lessons for high school students. China launched its first astronaut into space in 2003 and landed robot rovers on the moon in 2013 and on Mars last year. Officials have discussed a possible crewed mission to the moon. China is excluded from the International Space Station due to U.S. unease over its space program.
Chinese astronauts land after 6 months on space station
