Chinese astronaut Zhai Zhigang waves his hand after the successful landing of the re-entry module of the Shenzhou VII spaceship in North China's Inner Mongolia, September 28, 2008
Xinhua
Shenzhou VII spacecraft completes orbit maneuver
Premier Wen Jiabao welcomed Chinese astronauts home from Beijing, saying the mission's success was a milestone as China has become the third country to independently conduct a spacewalk.
Chinese astronaut Zhai Zhigang slipped out of the orbital module of ShenzhouVII Saturday afternoon, starting China's first spacewalk or extravehicular activity (EVA) in the outer space.
China's manned space program are being carried out in three stages, which will culminate in the establishment of a permanent space laboratory.