OTD In Space – June 13: China’s Spacecraft Docks With Space Lab

On June 13, 2013, China's crewed Shenzhou 10 spacecraft made its successful docking with the Tiangong-1 space lab, marking the country's second mission to the mini-space station.

This kicked off 12 days of docked operations for Shenzhou 10's three-person crew, which included Wang Yaping – China's second woman to fly in space. The astronauts performed many technological, physical and scientific experiments while on board, including on-orbit examinations of the Tiangong-1's crew's lungs, hearts and biochemistry conditions. While the medical impacts of the astronauts were the mission's main focus, it also marked a first for the Chinese: Wang beamed live science lessons for students during two space science lectures.