Looks like china is getting its own Apollo 13 mission...
The Daily Mail has the details:
Three astronauts already in space for six months are now stranded in orbit after their craft may have been damaged by dangerous debris floating around Earth.
China's Manned Spaceflight Agency (CMSA) has revealed that crew from its Shenzhou 20 mission will need to stay on board the Chinese station Tiangong.
The team of astronauts scheduled to relieve the first group had already taken off and were on their way to swap out with them, but the astronauts aboard the space station discovered a potentially serious problem.
Astronauts Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie have been on Tiangong, which means Heavenly Palace, since April, completing science experiments, carrying out space walks, and living in zero gravity.
At some point before the trio officially handed over the station to the Shenzhou 21 crew on November 5, the capsule the astronauts were supposed to use to return to Earth was struck by an unknown object in Earth orbit.
The collision left a noticeable mark on the space vehicle's hull, leading the team to fear Shenzhou 20 may have also sustained internal damage that could endanger their flight home.
The crews will have to conduct an extensive inspection to determine whether the craft can be safely operated for a return trip home.
Though it's not known what exactly it was that struck the spacecraft, it could be any of the estimated 19,000 pieces of "space debris" or the 11,000-plus other still-operational satellites in orbit around the earth, which travel at average speeds of 17,000mph.
If Supreme Leader Xi needs some help getting his boys home, I know a guy!
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