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Chinese astronauts ready to make history

By Hu Yinan (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2008-09-24 20:44

Spacewalker-to-be Zhai Zhigang, a reserve for the two previous Shenzhou missions, leads the starting lineup of astronauts for Shenzhou VII and is slated to make history at 4:30 pm on Saturday.

Three 42-year-old astronauts, all without any space flight experience, will be onboard the craft. Liu Boming and Jing Haipeng, both Shenzhou VI reserves, will join Zhai in this historic 68-hour mission.

Chinese astronauts Jing Haipeng(L), Zhai Zhigang(C) and Liu Boming wave hands during a press conference in Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (JSLC) in Northwest China's Gansu Province, September 24, 2008. The Shenzhou VII spaceship will blast off Thursday evening from the JSLC to send the three astronauts into space for China's third manned space mission. [Xinhua]

The crew's identities were revealed during a brief media session Wednesday afternoon at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (JSLC) in the northwestern Gansu province.

All three astronauts appeared at a fully quarantined facility in their apartment compound. With Zhai sitting at the center, the trio was introduced by Chen Shanguang, head and chief designer of the astronaut system.

"As astronauts, it is our utmost honor to be able to represent our motherland and trek into space," said Zhai, whose 14-year-old son is named Tianxiong, or "Sky Hero".

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"It"s not a mere addition of numbers from Shenzhou V, VI to VII. The Shenzhou VII mission is a new breakthrough and major leap in China"s space exploration; it is a glorious mission that has historic implications," he said.

Astronauts are an indispensible part of this mission, which will conduct China's first extra vehicular activity (EVA). "How well the astronauts can operate independently in space will be a key factor to the success of this mission," said Wang Zhaoyao, a spokesperson with the China Manned Space Program Office.

Aviation academy alumni Zhai and Liu will be working in the orbital module upon the spaceship's entry into orbit. All earlier reports and sources say Zhai will be the actual spacewalker. Officials have still not announced who among the two will perform the task, but Zhai was introduced yesterday as commander of Shenzhou VII.

Zhang Jianqi, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of China's manned space program, earlier said the duo's roles are interchangeable. Chen, meanwhile, said all three astronauts were capable of spacewalking.

Both Zhai and Liu are from the northern Heilongjiang province. Both joined the air force in June 1985 and attended aviation academy in the same year. Both were stationed in Tianjin for years before selected as astronauts in 1998.

Jing, who will work in the reentry capsule, was also drafted in June 1985. A native of Shanxi province, he and Liu were substitutes to the Shenzhou VI mission in 2005.

The spacecraft will enter the orbit an estimated 583 seconds after liftoff tonight. Afterwards, Jing will remain in the reentry capsule while Zhai and Liu move to the orbital module. The half-hour spacewalk will be broadcast live on national television.

The primary crew and their backups Chen Quan, Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng were selected out of all 14 of China"s astronauts in February. The starters and backups as well as their respective roles were announced in May, according to Huang Weifen, deputy chief designer of the Shenzhou VII project"s astronaut system.

Upon the mission's success, six of the 14 astronauts, all fighter pilots selected in 1998 from the air force, will have flown in space. Yang Liwei became the first "taikonaut" five years ago with the launch of Shenzhou V. Fei and Nie joined a five-day flight on Shenzhou VI in 2005.

A number of the astronauts, who are well into their 40s, will retire after the mission, Chen said. A younger group of no more than 14 astronauts is soon to be selected. The Shenzhou taikonauts built on experience from China"s first 19 astronauts picked in 1971 as part of the Shuguang-I project, which was later aborted due to budget constraints.