Shanghai, Jan 25 (Xinhua) China may telecast live the first space walk by its astronauts in the upcoming space mission Shenzhou VII this year, a scientist involved in the programme said here Friday.
Yuan Jie, president of Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST), made the remarks at the ongoing annual session of Shanghai People’s Congress, the city’s legislature.
“The Shenzhou VII spacecraft is capable of broadcasting live the walk, but it has not been decided if the space walk will be broadcast live or in a recorded version,” Yuan told Xinhua.
SAST is in charge of transmission of pictures and audio signals of Shenzhou VII and its technologies have proved successful in previous Shenzhou spacecraft missions.
The Shenzhou VII is expected to carry three astronauts in 2008 on a Long March 2F carrier rocket that is being tested now.
China launched its manned space programme in 1999. It successfully sent Yang Liwei, the country’s first astronaut, into orbit on the Shenzhou V spacecraft in 2003. Yang spent about 21 hours in orbit.
Two years later, astronauts Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng completed a Chinese record five-day flight on Shenzhou VI spacecraft.