Article Posted on : - Sep 25, 2008

HONG KONG (BNS): “It is a great honour for all three of us to fly the mission, and we are fully prepared for the challenge,” said Colonel Zhai Zhigang on Wednesday when the team met the media.

These are also words coming from the man who will forever be known as the first Chinese space walker after he finishes the task given to him successfully on Friday or Saturday. The entire mission would last about three days but there is no final word on when would the extravehicular activity be.

The 42-year-old astronaut said that he had been included in the final training thrice during the Shenzhou V, VI and VII missions. “I am looking forward to working with my colleagues from overseas in the future,” he said.

Colonel Zhai Zhigang is with the People’s Liberation Army and hails from northeastern China's Heilongjiang Province. He joined the Chinese air force in 1985.

Two other Chinese astronauts - Liu Boming and Jing Haipeng, both 42-- will also be on the country’s third manned spacecraft Shenzhou VII set to take off later today.

The Shenzhou VII is set to blast off on a Long March II-F rocket, on Thursday, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, in Gansu province of northwestern China between 9:07 pm and 10:27 pm (Beijing Time).

During meet the press programme in Jiuquan, Zhai Zhigang said the Shenzhou VII mission marks a historic breakthrough in China's manned space programme.

“Ten years of working, studying and training together has contributed to the smooth cooperation among the three of us,” Liu Boming said. He said that only one astronaut would perform the space walk assisted by a second astronaut in the orbit module. “The third astronaut will be stationed in the re-entry module during the space walk process,” Boming said.

The third astronaut, Jing Haipeng said that all three of them were confident, and capable of making the first step in space. Huang Weifen, deputy chief designer of astronaut system under China's manned space programme said that all the three astronauts were well prepared for the mission.

Explaining the basis of selection of astronauts, Zhang Jianqi, deputy chief commander of Shenzhou VII mission said that the pilots were chosen from the first group of 14 astronauts selected in 1998. The selection was based on their physical and psychological conditions as well as their technical skills.

Jianqi said that all the 14 astronauts were graded daily on every single movement of training. “The top six candidates were picked for the final training for the mission. They were then divided into two teams with the top three forming the final team, Zhang Jianqi said.

Meanwhile, the Chinese news agency Xinhua has said that the astronauts aboard the Shenzhou VII mission will wear the Orlan space suits provided by a Russian supplier and also the indigenous Feitian suit during the country's first ever space walk.

Wang Zhaoyao, spokesperson of China's manned space programme said Russian experts will provide technical support for the process.