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Chinese space walker

• James Reynolds
• 16 Sep 08, 04:11 PM GMT

1.3 billion Chinese people walk on the earth. In a few days time, one of them will walk in space.

Unofficial reports on Chinese websites say that China has chosen , a 42-year-old fighter pilot, as this country's first space walker.

On 25 September, Colonel Zhai and two other astronauts are expected to take off on the Shenzhou VII rocket. Once the rocket gets into space, the colonel will carry out a 40-minute spacewalk. The entire mission is expected to last for several days.

They'll have quite a lot to do in space. It's been suggested that the three astronauts - all loyal soldiers - may form the first ever branch of the Chinese Communist Party in space (the party's rules state that you need three members to form a new branch - these rules appear to apply even if you've left the planet).

For decades, China has been determined to press ahead with its own space programme. In October 2003, the country . China also has plans to go to the moon, and then onto Mars, and possibly even Saturn as well (why stop there?)

A year ago, , called Chang'e 1 (named after the ancient Chinese goddess of the moon). A little later, the probe sent back its first pictures of the lunar surface. This was such an emotional moment that one newspaper ran the headline "Scientists burst into tears when they see lunar pictures."

Space is a pretty popular subject here. I went to a popular space exhibition last year in central China - a collection of rockets, space models, and astronaut uniforms. We were told that China's first man in space, Yang Liwei, would show up. But we were warned that because he was still serving in the army, he was not allowed to talk to foreign journalists. So, we were offered an interview with an eminent scientist instead. But, speaking to a serious middle-aged man - however brilliant he may have been - wasn't quite the same thing as speaking to someone who's been out of this world.

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