China's astronaut Yang says 'hello' to world people

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, October 15, 2003

China's astronaut Yang says 'hello' to world people

China's first astronaut in outer space Yang Liwei said "hello" to people all over the world from Shenzhou-5 in a live talk with Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan. Yang also called his family in Beijing from space at 7:58 p.m.

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Astronaut Yang says "hello" to world people

Yang Liwei, China's home-trained astronaut sent into orbit by a home-made spacecraft, said "hello" to people all over the world while his spaceship was taking the 7th circle around the globe at around 6:40 p.m. Beijing time Wednesday.

It was the first Chinese greeting to mankind's mother planet from outer space, though the people of the country had been dreaming of this for thousands of years.

This centuries-old dream, which was kept alive only in fairy tales and legends, came true at 9 a.m. Beijing time Wednesday, when the Shenzhou-5 spacecraft, atop a China-made Long March II F carrier rocket, blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China and sent Yang into the preset orbit in less than 10 minutes.

"I feel good," said Yang, 38 and a veteran fighter pilot in the Chinese People's Liberation Army air force, in his capsule.

Chinese astronaut calls family from space

The Wednesday launch has made China the third nation to independently send a man into outer space, only after the former Soviet Union and the United States.

"This is the glory of our great motherland," said Chinese President Hu Jintao after China's space program supervisors declared the launch a "complete success" at 9:42 a.m.

Hu went to the Jiuquan launch base, some 1,600 km away from the capital Beijing, to witness the launch.

As planned, the Shenzhou-5 spacecraft will orbit the earth 14 times before landing on the vast grassland of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region early Thursday morning. By press time, the spacecraft has completed a crucial orbit shift and is flying on a circular orbit at an altitude of 343 km.

During his orbital flight, Yang, who almost spent a sleepless night for pre-launch preparations, took a sweet "space snooze" for nearly three hours and was also believed to have enjoyed one or two "space meals".

On his space menu were typical Chinese dishes like spicy-and-sour shredded meat and sliced chicken meat, traditional desserts like "Eight-Treasure-Rice" and a drink of Chinese herbal tea, sources said.

At around 5:30 p.m. Beijing time, Yang had a short conversation with Cao Gangchuan, China's defense minister and vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, via live communications systems. And two and a half hours later, he told his wife and son in a family chat "it looks extremely splendid around here."

Live footage showed Yang in good spirit in his capsule, as he once again told General Cao that he was feeling fine.

"I will strive to complete my tasks well and ensure the full success of the mission," Yang pledged.

Yang then displayed a five-star national flag of China and a United Nations flag, both of the miniature size, in his capsule.

This move was intended to highlight China's persistent pursuit of peaceful exploration of space, sources said.

Both Russia and the United States have welcomed China's company to the club of manned space flight, while many other nations, especially China's Asian neighbors, have also sent in congratulatory messages.

All across China, the news of Shenzhou-5's successful launch was greeted with great excitement and ecstasy. "Fantastic!" exclaimed Chang Fengyan, a Beijing university teacher who learnt about the launch success from TV breaking news.

"Nothing is more exciting than the news of the successful launch! Every Chinese is proud of it," said Wang Yong, an advertising agent in the capital.

Many Chinese knew in their childhood the story of Chang'e, a legendary beauty who flew to the moon after taking some magic medicine and stayed there as the Goddess of the Moon.

Back in the 14th century, a Chinese named Wan Hu attempted to send himself into sky by lighting 47 gunpowder-packed bamboo tubes tied to his chair. Although he got killed in this adventure, Wan has since been widely regarded as the world's first person using rocket as a flight vehicle.

However, while Wan's vision was finally turned into reality, there are still a few left in wonder and disbelief. "Is there really a man in that flame-jetting thing?" asked 64-year-old Namgyai in southwest China's Tibet while watching television.

When he was finally convinced, he said: "A Chinese man has flown into the sky, that's really good luck for the Chinese people."

"I pray for his safe return," said the old man. So do others of 1.3 billion people on this sacred land.

Chinese astronaut calls family from space

Yang Liwei told his family in a phone call from space he felt "very good" in space, which looks splendid, space officials said Wednesday.

"I'm feeling very good in space, and it looks extremely splendid around here," the 38 year-old astronaut told wife over the phone.

"I caught the sight of our beautiful home (the Earth) and recorded all what I've seen here," he told his "dear son" in the family chat which started at 7:58 p.m. (Beijing Time).

Yang, who is 1.68 meters high, was born to a teacher's family in Suizhong County in Liaoning Province, northeast China. His wife Zhang Yumei works for China Space City in the outskirts of Beijing.Their son is 8 years old.

The landing of China's first manned spacecraft following a 21-hour orbiting will go on in favorable climatic conditions early Thursday, experts predicted.

According to the local meteorological station at the priority landing site in Inner Mongolia, north China, the weather will be clear with good vision throughout Thursday.

It will be clear to cloudy, with temperatures between minus four and eight Celsius degrees. The wind speed will be four to six meters per second, and visibility will be over 10 kilometers, according to Wang Yongsheng, director of the meteorological station.

Wang explained that the landing requires a wind speed limit of less than 10 meters per second at low altitude of 300 meters or lower and less than 70 meters per second in the upper atmosphere, no clouds at altitude lower than 1,000 meters and no rainfall or snow, and visibility of no less than 10 kilometers.

The weather conditions over the landing site will meet all the requirements for the return of the re-entry module of Shenzhou-5 spacecraft, Wang added.

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