This story was updated at 7:03 a.m. ET
Shenzhou 7, China's third manned flight to space, has landed
safely on Earth.
The spacecraft's reentry module touched down on the
grasslands of Inner Mongolia Sunday at 5:38 a.m. ET (0938 GMT), concluding a roughly
68-hour mission. The three astronauts onboard, Zhai Zhigang, Liu Boming and
Jing Haipeng, are reportedly in good health.
Before beginning the return trip, the crew moved into their
Shenzhou 7 spacecraft's reentry
module, and jettisoned the orbital and service modules. After the reentry
module entered Earth's atmosphere, it released a giant parachute to soften the
landing.
The weather in Mongolia was favorable, with a slightly
cloudy sky and low winds. Helicopters and search and rescue teams were
stationed in the area to meet the returning astronauts.
Once the hatch was opened, the astronauts smiled, waved and
gave thumbs up signals to the crowd on the ground. They were able to walk after
being helped from the capsule by rescue crews, and were each given a bouquet of
flowers. The landing, egress and welcome ceremony were broadcast live on official
state China Central Television.
"It was a glorious mission, full of challenges with a
successful end," Zhai said after landing, the Associated Press reported.
"We feel proud of the motherland."
The crew will be taken to a hospital in the Inner Mongolian
capital Hohhot for medical examination and is scheduled to fly back to Beijing
on Monday. The astronauts will have to spend about two weeks in quarantine
before meeting their families, state news agency Xinhua reported.
A step forward
The momentous Shenzhou 7 flight, which launched
Sept. 25, included China's first
ever spacewalk, performed by Zhai Saturday and broadcast live. During the
20-minute sojourn, Zhai, sporting a new Chinese-built spacesuit, collected a test
sample of solid lubricant from the outside of the spacecraft that had been
placed there before launch. Afterward, Zhai and crewmates released a small satellite
to capture images and send them back to Earth.
The spacewalk was an important step in the evolution of
China's manned
space program. The nation is the only country, besides the United States
and Russia, capable of independently launching astronauts into space and, now, conducting
spacewalks.
Though the latter two countries achieved these feats about
40 years ago, China's accomplishment is nonetheless noteworthy, experts say.
"On the one hand, yes, they are doing things that we and the
Soviets did in the 1960s, so is this a huge step forward in terms of basic science?
No," said Dean Cheng, China analyst with Alexandria, Va.-based think tank CNA
Corp. "On the other hand, just because your parents learned how to drive does
not make your getting your license any less significant for you. The Chinese
are only the third nation to put their own person atop their own launcher in
their own spacecraft."
Another space race?
The Shenzhou 7 mission follows China's second manned flight,
the five-day, two-manned Shenzhou
6, in October 2005. The country's first mission, Shenzhou 5, launched
astronaut Yang Liwei into Earth orbit in October 2003.
Some predict Chinese missions may start to ramp up in
frequency, if the nation hopes to eventually rendezvous and dock two spacecraft
in orbit, and build a space laboratory.
"The launches should be starting to be closer together,"
said Joan Johnson-Freese, an expert on the Chinese space program at the U.S.
Naval War College in Rhode Island. "If they want to do the docking they're going
to have to do two missions close together."
Though the Chinese don't seem to be in too much of a rush,
some experts say they have initiated a space race with the United States, with
the ultimate goal again being to land on the moon.
"I do think it sets up the perception of a space race, but
this race, if there is one, is of political will," Johnson-Freese told SPACE.com.
"This is the classic tortoise and the hare situation. We just don't seem to
have the political will to be doing what they're doing."
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