CHINA> National
Our 2008, moments to remember
(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2008-12-25 13:41

China space walk: Taikonaut's 'small step' hailed as giant leap

Waving a red national flag at the cameras, a People's Liberation Army colonel stepped out of his orbiter 340 kilomters above the earth and into the hearts of his nation, becoming the first Chinese man to take a walk into space.

It was "a small step by Col. Zhai Zhigang, but a historical leap in China's space dreams," the official commentary said, in an echo of Neil Armstrong's words as he became the first man to set foot on the Moon.  


China's Long March II-F Rocket carrying Shenzhou-VII spacecraft blasts off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu Province, September 25, 2008.