China's historic space success

September 28, 2008

China's three astronauts have emerged from their space capsule at the end of a 68-hour mission which included a space walk. The three men were cut off for around three minutes as their re-entry module entered the outer edge of the earth's atmosphere. But they landed safely, their spacecraft parachuting down to the steppes of northern Inner Mongolia. Their voyage in space showcased China's technological mastery and was hailed as a major victory by its leaders. Their exploits have been followed on television by a mesmerised population, with live broadcasts of each stage of the mission.