A Chinese astronaut on Saturday performed the nation’s first-ever spacewalk, the latest milestone in an ambitious program that is increasingly rivaling the US and Russia in its rapid expansion.
Mission commander Zhai Zhigang (翟志剛), 42, floated out of the orbiter module’s hatch in the spacewalk, shown live on state broadcaster CCTV. Tethered to handles attached to the Shenzhou 7 ship’s orbital module’s exterior, Zhai remained outside for about 13 minutes before climbing back inside and closing the hatch behind him.
“Shenzhou 7 has left the module. I feel well. I am greeting the Chinese people and the people of the world,” Zhai said.
PHOTO: AP
Fellow astronaut Liu Boming (劉柏明) also emerged briefly from the capsule to hand Zhai a Chinese flag that he waved for an exterior camera filming the event. The third crew member, Jing Haipeng (景海鵬), monitored the ship from inside the re-entry module.
Zhai slowly moved toward a test sample of solid lubricant placed outside the orbital module, Xinhua news agency said.
He took the sample and handed it over to Liu who stayed in the orbital module and closely monitored Zhai’s moves.
During his mission, Zhai tested his 120kg, Chinese-made protective suit, which cost US$4 million to US$30 million, various state media reports said.
Zhai returned to the Shenzhou 7’s orbital module, closing its hatch shortly before 5pm, state TV said.
The walk was supposed to last 20 minutes, with no immediate explanation given for the shortened length of time.
Although Zhai’s maneuvers represented the 298th spacewalk of all time, it was a milestone for China. President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) watched it at the mission control center in Beijing, where applause broke out as Zhai floated out of the spacecraft.
The successful spacewalk paves the way for assembling a space station from two Shenzhou orbital modules, the next major goal of China’s manned spaceflight program. China is also pursuing lunar exploration and may attempt to land a man on the moon in the next decade.
China launched its first manned mission, Shenzhou 5, in 2003, followed by a two-man mission in 2005.
Since blasting off from their northwestern China launch base on Friday, the astronauts had been largely occupied with preparing the suits and adapting to zero gravity. Meals aboard the craft have followed a typical Chinese menu, featuring versions of kung pao chicken, shrimp and dried fruit, Xinhua news agency said.
On Friday, the three-module capsule shifted from an oval orbit to a more stable circular orbit 343km above Earth, meaning it is circling at a constant distance.
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