Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Damaged goods. The uncrewed Shenzhou-20 return capsule with compromised viewport parachuted to Earth after 270 days in orbit.
Image credit: CCTV

It has been billed as China’s first emergency operation in the country’s human spaceflight program.

Crew members of the Shenzhou-20 mission recently detailed their reactions in finding cracks on their return capsule viewport.

Ground team experts discuss Shenzhou-20 cracked window.
Image credit: China Media Group/China Central Television

Chen Dong, commander of the Shenzhou-20 crew, first noticed the damage to the window while conducting final checks on the return capsule. The believed culprit: a harmful hit by space debris striking the window.

For more details, go to my new Space.com story – “’Some of the cracks had penetrated through’: Chinese astronauts reveal new details about spacecraft that ‘stranded’ them in space last year” — at

https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/some-of-the-cracks-had-penetrated-through-chinese-astronauts-reveal-new-details-about-spacecraft-that-stranded-them-in-space-last-year