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Russian technicians to aid China's first spacewalk
2008-09-24
JIUQUAN, China - On the eve of its most ambitious manned space mission yet, Chinese officials introduced the three-man crew Wednesday and said Russian technicians will help guide one of them on China's first spacewalk. The three-man mission, expected to last about three days, is China's most challenging since it launched a person into space in 2003. The spacewalk is expected to help China develop the technology for docking two orbiters to create China's first space station in the future. The two astronauts who don spacesuits for the maneuver will be "supported by Russian experts throughout the mission," said space program spokesman Wang Zhaoyao told reporters at the Jiuquan launch site in northwestern China. Only one will actually leave the module to retrieve scientific experiments placed outside. China's secretive military-backed space program has relied overwhelmingly on domestic technology and know-how, and cooperation with Russia has been highly limited. One of the astronauts will wear China's homemade Feitian suit, while the other will a Russian-made suit. However, Wang said Russian support for the latest mission could translate into a broader relationship in future. "The successful cooperation on the Shenzhou 7 manned mission will create favorable conditions for future cooperation between our two countries," Wang said, without giving details. Fighter pilot Zhai Zhigang, 42, an unsuccessful candidate for the previous two manned missions, has been touted by the official Xinhua News Agency as the leading astronaut to carry out the spacewalk. Zhai and his comrades Jing Haipeng and Liu Boming -- both 42 also -- have been training together for a decade, ensuring effective, smooth cooperation among the three, Liu said. "It is a great honor for all three of us to fly the mission, and we are fully prepared for the challenge," Zhai said. Wang gave no exact date or time for the spacewalk, but said the launch window for the mission at Jiuquan had been set at between 9:07 p.m. and 10:27 p.m. (9:07 a.m. and 10:27 a.m. EDT) on Thursday.
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