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Beijing(AFP)Oct．17, 2005－China’s second manned space mission returned safely to Earth early Monday after a successful five –day flight, in the latest chapter in China’s ambitious drive to become a global space power．
Astronauts Fei Junling and Nie Haisheng were given a clean bill of health after the re-entry capsule(返回舱)of their Shenzhou VI spacecraft landed on Earth on a parachute, ending up in Inner Mongolia, Xinhua news agency said．
“Our journey in space was very smooth．The living and working conditions inside the cabin were very good, and our health is okay．Thanks,” Fei said on state television, with a smile．
Appearing from the capsule, television pictures showed the two took a few seconds to adjust to the Earth’s gravity, before begin presented with flowers and waving to gathered recovery teams and ground control staff．
Mission control declared the 115-hour space flight a success, Xinhua reported．
A member of one of the recovery teams reported that the capsule landed upright after touching down at 4∶32 am(20∶32 GMT Sunday), just one kilometer(1,100 yards)from the intended landing site, it added．
The flight was China’s second-ever manned space mission following the historic Shenzhou V, which in October 2003 made China the third nation after the former Soviet Union and the United States to put a man into space．
During his 21-hour first flight in 2003, astronaut Yang Liwei never left his seat in the re-entry capsule nor took off his space suit．In contrast, Fei and Nie’s flight saw them leave the re-entry capsule and enter the orbital capsule(轨道舱), taking off their heavy suits and putting on ordinary work clothes so they could move around easily．
To remove worries that China could use space for military purposes, Premier Wen Jiabao said the purpose of the mission was to conduct experiments “entirely for peaceful purposes．”
The Chinese government also hopes to use the manned space program to inspire patriotism(爱国精神)and instill a curiosity in science and technology among Chinese population．
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