China's wasted no time in setting out the latest plans for its ambitious space programme. A senior official said the next manned mission will be in 2007, when the astronauts will attempt a space walk. After that, scientists will focus on developing the capability to rendezvous and dock with other spacecraft. He added that China also wanted to recruit female astronauts in the near future.
The announcement comes just hours after the country's second manned space mission touched down in the remote grasslands of inner Mongolia. The returning astronauts have been given a hero's welcome, riding in an open car in a nationally televised parade. Thousands of soldiers and groups of schoolchildren lined the route, waving Chinese flags. It's a sign of the great importance China attaches to its space programme, viewing it as a source of national pride and international prestige.
Daniel Griffiths, BBC News, Beijing
Vocabulary:
setting out describing
ambitious wanting to be successful in something that is difficult and challenging
manned mission a trip to space on a rocket which has people on board
focus on concentrate on
to rendezvous and dock with to meet and connect with
to recruit female astronauts to employ women to go into space