  Energy spectra of the most energetic hadrons in the core region of extensive
air showers (EAS) were studied in dependence on the EAS energy $E_0$ in the
hybrid experiment HADRON at the Tien Shan mountain cosmic ray station. For the
first time by direct measurement it was found in this experiment that the slope
of the power energy spectrum of EAS hadrons diminishes itself locally, and the
average hadron energy, correspondingly, increases between the $E_0$ borders
3PeV and 20PeV. Such behavior agrees with threshold appearance in EAS, in the
same energy range, of a long-flying penetrative component which was earlier
revealed at the Tien Shan station. Now we reconsider this Tien Shan result in
comparison with the new data of modern collider experiments. The analysis
permits to state unambiguously an astrophysical nature of the penetrative EAS
component, and to discuss its probable connection with the origin of the famous
knee in the energy spectrum of cosmic rays at $E_0\simeq 3$ PeV.
