The Shenzhou VII space mission went as planned and China recorded a big success as it carried out its first space walk on Saturday and the capsule returned safely on Earth on Sunday after three days in space.

After accomplishing the objective of the mission – the space walk – and conducting some other very important experiments for the country’s experience in the space field, the capsule with three astronauts (or taikonauts as the Chinese moniker goes) aboard headed to Earth and landed safely near the planned landing site in the northern Chinese province of Inner Mongolia.

Chinese space experts were worried about the capsule’s re-entry in Earth’s atmosphere, but all went well and Chinese residents watched the live broadcast of the completion of their country’s most successful space mission to date. The capsule's descent by parachute was carried out at 5:00 a.m. ET (9:00 GMT) and was broadcasted live on giant screens in China’s cities. It is truly a good day to be Chinese.

The Launch

The Shenzhou VII blasted off into the sky on September 25, 2008 at 21:10 CST on a Long March 2F (CZ-2F) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the desert of northwest China's Gansu province.

The launch was broadcasted live on state television, as the country is looking to promote its space program and show the growing confidence in such manned space activities. People everywhere were very excited to witness the event, being extremely proud of the country’s achievements. President Hu Jintao also made an appearance, addressing the crew and wishing them nothing but success.

"You will definitely accomplish this glorious and sacred mission. The motherland and the people are looking forward to your triumphant return," Hu told the taikonauts.

The capsule achieved its definitive circular orbit 343 kilometers above the Earth after holding an elliptical orbit after launch. After undertaking a 64-second engine burn, the Shenzhou VII jumped into the orbit (213 miles above our planet) where the lack of variation in the earth’s gravity allows more precise and smooth operation from the astronauts.

The three taikonauts assembled and tested their equipment, especially the space suits in anticipation of the big event – the space walk. One of the space suits is Russian, and the other Chinese-made models.

The Space Walk

As expected, on Saturday, Shenzhou VII’s commander, fighter pilot Zhai Zhigang, was the one who carried out the highly-anticipated space walk. Mr. Zhai emerged from the Shenzhou VII (which means “Divine Vessel” in Chinese) capsule to wave the Chinese flag. The 42-year-old fighter pilot stayed outside the space craft about 15 minutes. The other fighter pilots, also aged 42, remained inside the capsule, while Mr. Zhai became the first Chinese to carry out a space walk.

Astronaut Zhai Zhigang left the craft's orbital module at 4:39 pm (0839 GMT).

"I am here greeting the Chinese people and people of the whole world," the astronaut told mission control in Beijing.

After he was free of the module, fellow astronaut Liu Boming handed Zhai a Chinese flag, which Zhai waved as Earth floated in the background. Liu Boming, wearing a Russian spacesuit, assisted Zhai in exiting the orbiter while the third and final astronaut on the mission, Jing Haiping, remained in the re-entry module.

The crew had spent more than 11 hours Friday unpacking and assembling the suits and then underwent 100 minutes of training to get used to the get-ups.

Mr. Zhai made China the third nation to conduct a spacewalk after the United States and Russia. The three countries are also the only ones to have conducted manned space missions.

Although Zhai's maneuvers represented the 298th spacewalk of all time, it was a milestone for China. The space walk was a key experiment in China’s endeavor to prove its might not only on Earth, but also in space. China celebrated the space walk as a prelude to further exploration of areas which only Russia and the United States managed to reach.

Proud China

Chinese officialdom hailed on Saturday the country's first spacewalk as another reason for national "pride and joy," along with the successful conclusion of the 2008 Olympic Games.
The official party organ the People's Daily said that Saturday's spacewalk by astronaut Zhai Zhigang was further evidence of the "nation's continuing technical capabilities," and added that "the small step" by Zhai was "a historic leap in Chinese dreams of space travel."

However, the People's Daily did call for circumspection on the part of Chinese, saying that even though the country had now left its "footprint in the universe," the gap between China and the likes of the US and Russia could not be overlooked.

The country’s last manned mission took place in 2005, two years after its first manned launch. The efforts for improving the Chinese space program have intensified in the past few years and there are many plans for the future. Zhang Bainan, the chief designer of the spacecraft system of China's manned space program, told Xinhua that China will soon begin the mass production of its Shenzhou spacecraft starting from Shenzhou VIII, which will be used as a shuttle for transports between China’s space station and the headquarters, but also for astronauts and cargo for other countries.

The main difference between Shenzhou VII and Shenzhou VIII will consist in a comfier design for the interior, leaving everything else pretty much the same. Also, "The mass production would also allow intensive launch in a short period of time," said Mr. Bainan.

To fill the roles of future astronauts, there will be a new round of astronaut selection after the completion of the current mission, stated Chen Shanguang, director of the China Astronaut Research and Training Center. There are also plans for including female astronauts in the program, but nothing definite has been established yet.

The mission is giving China much confidence as its developing endeavor for the stars grows into maturity. "Many standards have already been set and there has been strong support from society as a whole," says Yang Liwei, the first Chinese man to be put into space back in 2003.

The space mission was the only event which eclipsed the crisis of the Chinese toxic milk which sickened more than 53,000 infants. All the steps of the mission were completely covered by local television stations. The launch, the space walk and the landing were broadcasted live on state TV and it also took over the front pages of all state-controlled newspapers.