Taikongnaut - China's First Astronaut Successfully Orbits Earth

By LI WUZHOU

Yang Liwei walks out of the Shenzhou V spacecraft after 21 hours in space.

Yang Liwei orbited the earth 14 times in 21 hours on October 15 and 16, landing on the grasslands of Inner Mongolia. His selection as China's first person in space was kept secret even from Yang until just before the mission's launch.

Looking a little tired, Yang stepped out of the Shenzhou V spacecraft, smiling and waving at the applauding audience.

"I feel very good," he said to Premier Wen Jiabao via phone. In a statement to the media, Yang said, "This is a great moment in our motherland's history, and this is the most splendid day of my life."

Although several decades behind Russia and the US, China's launch of the Shenzhou V reflects a higher starting point. The ship's advanced technology enables it to detect and avoid floating space waste, and its six-square-meter interior is the biggest in the world. The Shenzhou V also has two independent systems to protect the astronaut: an early-warning and evaluation system, and an emergency escape, both of which the Russian and American rockets lack.

It was not until the night before the launch that Yang Liwei knew he had been selected. Although excited at the news, he still slept at 8:00 PM as normal and was woken up at 2:00 am the next morning. Before the launch, he ate dumplings in accordance with the Chinese tradition that this is what travelers should eat before going on a journey to bring luck.

A commemorative stamp, "Success of China's First Manned Space Flight," was issued on October 16, 2003, hailing China's place as the third country to send an astronaut into outer space.

Shenzhou V launches into the sky at 9:00 am, October 15, 2003.	Yang Liwei returns safely at 6:23, October 16, 2003.
The national flag, the 2008 Beijing Olympics emblem flag and some crop seeds taken out of the spacecraft in the Shenzhou V re-entry capsule opening ceremony held in Beijing.	Many unknown heroes have participated in the research and preparation for this historic moment. They include Zhang Qingwei (left), deputy chief commander of Chinese manned spaceship project, Yuan Jiajun (middle), chief commander of Shenzhou V launching, and Qi Faren, chief designer of Shenzhou V.