China
President Hu attends pre-launch ceremony for 3 astronauts
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After that, the three astronauts set off.
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| Chinese taikonauts (R-L) Liu Boming, Zhai Zhigang and Jing Haipeng attend the setting-out ceremony at the taikonauts' apartment compound of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gansu Province, Sept. 25, 2008. China counted down Thursday to its third manned space mission Shenzhou-7 which will include the country's first ever space walk. (Xinhua/Li Gang) |
Accompanied with their coaches and medics, the astronauts came to the elevator. The distance they walked is four meters less than in the previous two space missions, which saves some energy for the astronauts in a space suit weighing 14.5 kilograms.
At 6:05pm Beijing time, the three astronauts entered the spaceship.
Officials said that all the systems of the Shenzhou-7 manned space program are going well. They say the space environment tends to be stable and calm as the solar activities have been reductive, which will be favorable for the mission. Besides, all five satellite tracking ships are now in position to support the mission.
The Shenzhou-7 spaceship, carrying the three Chinese astronauts, is due to blast off between 9:07 p.m. and 10:27 p.m. on a Long March II-F rocket.
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Editor:Zhang Ning
