China spacewalks into history

Taikonaut Zhai Zhigang slipped out of the orbital module of Shenzhou-7 on Saturday afternoon, starting China’s first spacewalk — or extravehicular activity (EVA) — in outer space.
“Shenzhou-7 is now outside the spacecraft. I feel well. I am here greeting the Chinese people and people of the whole world,” he told ground control in Beijing, where President Hu Jintao watched the proceedings with top space scientists. Donning a $4-million homemade Feitian space suit, Mr. Zhai waved to the camera mounted on the service module after pulling himself out of the capsule in a head-out-first position, video monitor at the Beijing Aerospace Control Centre (BACC) showed.
Mr. Zhai, who will be 42 next month, was an Air Force pilot before enrolling in the space programme. Minutes after he was outside the capsule, teammate Liu Boming also emerged from the orbital module hatch and handed Mr. Zhai a Chinese national flag which he waved. Their third crew member Jing Haipeng monitored the ship from inside the re-entry module.
Video monitor at BACC showed Mr. Zhai then slowly leaning towards a test sample of solid lubricant placed outside the module. He took the sample and handed it over to Mr. Liu.
Solid lubricant is widely used in spacecraft. The test samples carried by Shenzhou-7 include 11 types of solid lubricants. Scientists hoped to improve the property and lifetime of the materials by studying the samples. After the handover, Mr. Zhai started the core part of the space adventure, the spacewalk. Tethered to the spacecraft with two safety wires and a long electric cord providing oxygen and communications, Mr. Zhai moved slowly along a set of handrails around the orbital module.Televised event
He “walked step by step” by shifting the wire hooks connecting him and the spacecraft, in a televised event watched by millions of Chinese and met with applauses and cheers by crowds before downtown outdoor screens and office TV sets. Twenty-five minutes after the spacewalk, he returned to the module, marking a complete success of China’s first attempt at spacewalk.
The historical moment was witnessed by tens of millions of Chinese with bated breath. The success makes China the third to master the EVA technology following the U.S. and Russia. Performing a successful spacewalk is a key step in mastering docking techniques, technology that is needed for the establishment of a space station.
After leak check by ground control, Mr. Zhai and Mr. Liu turned off the depressurising valve and started re-pressurising the module. They also adjusted their spacesuits to the intra-capsule condition.
The Shenzhou-7 spacecraft took off from northwest China’s Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre on Thursday and is scheduled to land on the Inner Mongolia steppe on Sunday. — Xinhua