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This was Chinese astronaut Zhai Zhigang greeting people all over the world when he performed a space walk on September 27, 2008, during China's Shenzhou 7 manned space mission.
The event marked a milestone in China's space exploration program as Zhai Zhigang became the first Chinese person to accomplish a space walk, and China became the third country following the former Soviet Union and the United States to conduct extravehicular activities in space.
The development of manned space technologies represents comprehensive strength in science and technology. Shenzhou 7 was China's third and most ambitious manned space mission. Compared with the previous two operations, the Shenzhou 7 project was more complex and challenging, and involved stringent technological requirements in order to perform China's first ever space walk. Zhang Jianqi was deputy chief commander of the mission.
"China has achieved a series of remarkable technological breakthroughs in all of the areas needed for the space walk, including the independent research and development of the airlock module and extravehicular spacesuits. The extravehicular work requires high technological standards for security as well as life support and energy supply systems. The homemade airlock module and extravehicular spacesuits were especially technologically demanding since they were essential to the success of the space walk."
The live telecast of China's first space walk was watched by people all over the country. Many of them expressed their excitement and pride over the success of the space mission.
"As a Chinese, I feel so proud. The success of the space mission signifies a remarkable achievement in China¡¯s space industry. It also represents the comprehensive strength of our nation."
China is the third country in the world to develop a manned space flight program independently. But the country's great achievements in the space industry haven't come easily. 60 years ago when the People's Republic of China was founded, making a journey to the space seemed to be a distant dream to the Chinese people.
China embarked on the road to develop its space industry in the mid-1950s. After decades of research, the country developed a series of Long March rockets capable of sending various kinds of satellites into space.
The first rocket of the Long March family blasted off in 1970, sending China's first man-made satellite into orbit. Five years later, China launched its first recoverable remote sensing satellite. After three days of operation, the satellite returned as planned, making China the third country in the world to master satellite recovery technology.
Over the past few decades, China has launched various types of satellites, such as telecommunications satellites, meteorological satellites, scientific experiment satellites, and Earth resource satellites.
Three launch sites have been set up in the country. They are all able to make domestic satellite launches and international commercial launches. In 1985, the Chinese government announced that the Long March rockets would be put on the international commercial markets to provide satellite launching services for foreign countries. Since then, China has successfully launched over 30 foreign-made satellites into space.
China's space industry has made a great leap forward in the past decade. The country inaugurated its manned space program in the early 1990s, and devoted great efforts to developing spacecrafts and launching vehicles. An astronaut training base was also set up and fourteen air force pilots were selected as the country's first generation of astronauts. Zhou Jianping is a leading scientist engaged in China's manned space program.
"Exploring the universe and expanding the living space for human beings are the wishes of people worldwide. China's manned space program is divided into three stages. The first stage was the launch of a manned spacecraft. The second phase aims to conduct multi-astronaut space flights, carry out space walks, and set up a space laboratory complex in 2010. The final step is the establishment of a space station by 2020. Over the past few years, China has made significant achievements in its manned space program. The first step was achieved in 2003, and the second phase of the project is proceeding smoothly."
China launched its first unmanned experimental spacecraft Shenzhou 1 in 1999. The spaceship was safely recovered after a 21-hour voyage. The maiden flight marked a landmark event in the country's space flight history.
Over the next three years, China launched three more unmanned spacecrafts. These experiments allowed Chinese scientists to upgrade the technology for a manned space mission.
Then, in October 2003, China successfully sent its first astronaut, Yang Liwei, into space on the Shenzhou 5 spacecraft. Yang Liwei spent 21 hours in space and landed safely back on Earth the next day. People all over the country were elated at his success.
Two years later, China took another step forward by sending two more astronauts on a five-day space flight mission on Shenzhou 6.
The Shenzhou 7 space mission conducted last year was designed to master the key technologies necessary to set up a space laboratory where spacecrafts can dock and perform extravehicular activities. The ability to conduct a space walk is considered a crucial step in China's manned space program.
The successful launch was hailed as a significant development in China's space industry by space experts from around the world. Tal Inbar is the chief of the space research center at Israel's Fisher Institute for air and space studies.
"A space walk is the central part of every advanced manned space program. You must have the knowledge and the technical know-how about how to go outside the spacecraft in order to fix things and construct large structures in space. So it's a major stepping stone in the Chinese manned space program."
Space expert Jonathan Nicholls from the University of Cambridge says he's very impressed by China's rapid development in space.
"That is actually clearly a sign of the huge step forward, and we know the remarkable success the Chinese people again in the fields of technology and science."
While the manned space program was in process, China has also strengthened its research on the moon. In 2007, China sent its first lunar probe into the orbit, becoming the fifth country in the world with a lunar orbiter. The moon probe completed its 16-month mission this March, indicating the completion of the first stage of China's three-phase lunar exploration program. The last step aims to collect soil and mineral samples from the moon for scientific research by 2020.
These successful launches have marked quantum leaps in China's space program, especially in the area of technological innovation. To meet the demand of the country's future space projects, China has now begun training a new generation of astronauts. They are expected to handle more demanding tasks than their predecessors, as China aims to establish space laboratories and a permanent space station in the next decade.
Although China has been developing its space program independently, it's always ready to carry out cooperation with other countries for peaceful purposes. Leading Chinese space expert Zhou Jianping says:
"China always pursues the principle of making peaceful use of the space. It maintains that the outer space is the common wealth of mankind, and all the space exploration activities should be done for peaceful purposes, to promote social progress and benefit the whole of mankind. The country is willing to carry out various forms of cooperation with other countries in space exploration and utilization for the goal of promoting world peace and development."
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