Shenzhou-7 taikonauts in final training for liftoff: official
23/9/2008 17:50
Six taikonauts (astronauts) selected for China's Shenzhou-7 space mission
are in final training for the launch sometime from Sept. 25 to 30, says a senior
mission official. The candidates for the three-man mission rehearse basic
procedures every day and study manuals to maintain their skills, Huang Weifen,
deputy chief designer of the mission's flight system, said today. The six
taikonauts arrived at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Sunday, where they
were accommodated in a guarded quarantine facility to protect them from health
risks. Staff who entered the compound had to wear masks and sterile uniforms
and undergo health checks, and were prohibited from shaking hands with the
taikonauts, she said. Doctors at the compound were closely monitoring the
physical and psychological states of the taikonauts before the final crew was
announced, she said. Three taikonauts will fly on the Shenzhou-7 aircraft.
One of them will perform a spacewalk.
Xinhua
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