Shenzhou VI touches down; astronauts in good conditions (chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2005-10-17 05:23
China's top legislator Wu Bangguo, who watched the landing from the Beijing
mission control center, declared the flight a success.
Astronaut Nie Haisheng gets out of the
re-entry capsule of the Shenzhou VI spacecraft at the main landing
field in Central Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Monday morning October
17, 2005. Shenzhou VI landed after a five-day flight. [Xinhua]
|
"This will further improve the country's international status and national
strength, and will help to mobilize its people to rally around the Communist
Party and work harder for the future of the country," Wu said in a brief speech
to technicians.
Jubilant residents in Nie's home town in central Hubei province set off
firecrackers and performed traditional lion dances.
Fei's mother wept on learning of his safe return, and his father declared
"The motherland is so great!" Xinhua said.
Both will be in isolation for observation for 14 days after the mission, but
family members will be allowed to visit, the Beijing Youth Daily newspaper said
Sunday.
Fei and Nie blasted off Wednesday on China's second manned space mission. It
came almost exactly two years after China's first manned space flight.
China is only the third country to send humans into orbit on its own, after
Russia and the United States.
An artistic
rendering shows the re-entry capsule of the Shenzhou VI spacecraft
touches down in the main landing field in Central Inner Mongolia this
morning. [Xinhua]
|
State television showed scores of technicians monitoring the landing at
computer screens at a Beijing control center. They showed no reaction when an
announcer said the capsule had landed but broke into cheers after word came that
the astronauts were safe, the Associated Press reported.
|