China astronauts return after historic mission

Three astronauts who conducted China's first-ever space walk landed safely back on Chinese soil on Sunday, bringing an end to the latest historic mission by the country's young space programme.

The descent capsule of the Shenzhou VII spacecraft drifted down to a soft landing in northern China's Inner Mongolia region in footage broadcast live on state-run CCTV.

Within minutes, technicians reached the capsule by car and began helping Zhai and fellow crew members Liu Boming and Jing Haipeng out.

"I feel proud for the nation," commander Zhai Zhigang told a television crew that arrived at the site.

The trio were then quickly whisked away for medical checks.

Their return came a day after Zhai conducted the spacewalk, making China just the third country to perform the feat after the United States and the former Soviet Union four decades ago.

The mission has been hailed in China as a landmark in the country's quest to become a space power.

Under China's fledgling space programme, two more unmanned craft will be launched by 2010, as well as another manned spaceship with a crew of three to start work on building a lab or space station, according to state media.

After China sent its first man into space in 2003, it followed up with a two-man mission in 2005.

9/28/2008