BEIJING: Astronaut Zhai Zhigang became the first Chinese man to walk in space yesterday, clambering out of China’s Shenzhou VII spacecraft in a technological feat that Beijing wants the world to marvel about.
“I’m feeling quite well. I greet the Chinese people and the people of the world,” Zhai said as he climbed out of the craft, his historic achievement carried live on state television.
Zhai, the 41-year-old son of a snack-seller chosen for the first “extra-vehicular activity,” unveiled a small Chinese flag, helped by colleague Liu Boming, who also briefly popped his head out of the capsule.
Zhai safely returned inside the craft after about 15 minutes. The walk marked the high point of China’s third manned space journey, which has received blanket media coverage.
He wore a $4.4 million Chinese-made suit weighing 120-kg. Liu wore a Russian-made one and acted as a back-up.
Zhai, tethered to the ship, slowly made his way toward a test sample of solid lubricant outside the capsule, took a sample and handed it to Liu, the official Xinhua news agency said, in an experiment to improve the durability of the materials.
Chinese President Hu Jintao spoke to the astronauts on their return to the capsule, congratulating them for their efforts and wishing them a “triumphant” return.
“You’ve done a great job,” Hu said.
The risky space walk is a step toward China’s longer-term goal of assembling a space lab and then a larger space station. The fast-growing Asian power wants to be sure of a say in how space and its potential resources are used.
