High-flyer: A screen grab taken from Chinese state television shows mission commander Zhai Zhigang waving a Chinese flag shortly after climbing out of the Shenzhou VII spacecraft, 343 km above the Earth.
Credit: AFP/CCTV
BEIJING: Three Chinese astronauts returned safely to Earth last night after making the country's first spacewalk.
Commander Zhai Zhigang etched his name in history books with a 15-minute walk in space on Saturday that set another milestone in the nation's transformation to a global power.
Tethered to the craft with two safety wires, Zhai retrieved a test sample of a solid lubricant placed outside the orbital module. The modest drill was intended to replicate the type of task that future spacewalkers will have to perform.
Symbolic gesture
"I feel well," he said from outside the Shenzhou VII module, as countless millions around the globe watched live on television as China joined the United States and the former Soviet Union as the only nations to complete a spacewalk. "I am greeting the Chinese people and the people of the world," he added.
Zhai emerged from the module holding the Chinese flag – a moment of great drama and symbolism just days before the 50th anniversary of the U.S. space agency NASA on Wednesday. He also wore a Chinese-made space-suit that has been touted as a further innovation for the country.
In a televised chat live from mission control, Chinese President Hu Jintao praised the 41-year-old:"Your spacewalk was a complete success. It's a major breakthrough in the development of our manned space program... The motherland and the people thank you."
A fire alert that was heard during the live transmission of the spacewalk turned out to be a mistake in one of the sensors, mission headquarters said.
After re-entering the atmosphere yesterday, the descent capsule of the Shenzhou VII mission was seen on state television drifting gently down under a giant red and white parachute to an empty plain in Inner Mongolia. Cheers erupted at mission control as the capsule touched down around 5:40 pm local time (7:40 pm Sydney time).
Steps to space station
As part of China's space program, two more unmanned craft will be launched by 2010, as well as another manned spaceship with a crew of three to start work on the lab or space station, according to the China Daily newspaper.
The spacewalk was the highlight of the three-man, three-day voyage – China's third manned foray into space – and is considered an important step towards China's plans to building a space station.
China was mired in political chaos, poverty and isolation when the Americans and Soviets made the first spacewalks, back in the 1960s heyday of their space race, and the Shenzhou VII mission has stirred deep emotions among Chinese. "This is one small step for a man, but one giant leap for the country," declared a commentary in the China Youth Daily newspaper.
