E-mail this to a friend Printable version

Chinese astronaut walks in space

China astronaut's space walk A Chinese astronaut has become the first in his country's history to take a walk in space. In an operation broadcast live on national TV, fighter pilot Zhai Zhigang emerged from the capsule orbiting the Earth to wave a Chinese flag. Mr Zhai, 42, stayed outside the capsule for 15 minutes while his two fellow astronauts stayed in the spacecraft. The exercise is seen as key to China's ambition to build an orbiting station in the next few years. Mr Zhai began the manoeuvre just after 1630 Beijing Time (0830 GMT) on Saturday, and completed it about 15 minutes later. more