Shenzhou VI touches down
Edited by Kovis


Jubilant crowds at the Shenzhou VI landing site

The re-entry module of China's second manned spacecraft, Shenzhou VI, has returned to Earth, and the astronauts are safe.

The module and astronauts touched down in the main landing field in the Central Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at 4:33 am on Monday after a five-day flight.

Fei Junlong got out of the re-entry module first, followed by Nie Haisheng.

The two said they were in good condition when answering questions from journalists.

The two People's Liberation Army colonels received a hero's welcome. Jubilant residents in Nie's hometown in central Hubei Province set off firecrackers and performed traditional lion dances.



State television showed the astronauts emerging from Shenzhou VI unaided, pausing atop the charred re-entry craft to wave to the recovery team.

Chen Bingde, chief of China's manned space project, declared the mission a complete success.

The re-entry module landed one kilometer away from target, and six kilometers from the Shenzhou V landing site.

Fei and Nie blasted off last Wednesday on China's second manned space mission. It came almost exactly two years after China's first manned space flight.

China is only the third country to send humans into orbit on its own, after Russia and the United States.

State television showed scores of technicians monitoring the landing at computer screens at a Beijing control center. They showed no reaction when an announcer said the capsule had landed, but broke into cheers after word came that the astronauts were safe, the Associated Press reported.

Chinese leaders, including top legislator Wu Bangguo, were shown on television watching the landing from the control center.

"We feel good, our work is going smoothly and we are happy here," Fei was quoted as saying on Sunday evening before the craft began its re-entry maneuvers. "We will do our utmost to complete the mission."

"We're grateful for the deep love and concern of all the Chinese people, and our Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan compatriots," Nie said.

Shenzhou VI orbited the Earth 76 times and traveled more than 1.9 million miles.

The mission was substantially longer and more complex than the 2003 flight, when astronaut Yang Liwei orbited for 21 1/2 hours before his capsule parachuted back to Earth.

Vocabulary
module 太空舱
astronaut 宇航员
jubilant 欢呼的
charred 烧焦的
capsule 太空舱
substantially 实质上地

 

 

World in Pictures
Photo source: ImagineChina

	Soccer boot-shaped torte 巨型蛋糕足球鞋亮相 ▲Yekaterinburg, Russia, October 8. The world's biggest soccer boot-shaped torte is made by the confectioners of Yekaterinburg in bid to get into the Guinness Book of World Records.
	World's largest tug-of-war 2万人参与世界最大型拔河比赛 Around 20,000 people participate in a tug-of-war during an annual event in Naha, on Japan's southern island of Okinawa, October 9. The rope used in the event was 200m long, 156cm in diameter, weighed 43 tons and were made of harvested straw. It will apply to the Guinness Book of World Records to be recognized as the world's largest.
	Look like your pet contest 日本年度人狗模仿大赛 ▲Pet owner Jiro Yamada shows his pet dog Ochan (mister), a three-year-old Chinese Shar-Pei after they won the annual "look like your pet contest" in Tokyo, October 15. Yamada and his pet won the first prize money of 300,000 yen (2,610 USD) at the contest.
	16th child in 17 years "超级妈妈"17年生下16娃 Oct 11, 2005, Rogers, Arkansas, USA. The Duggar children look on as their mother holds their new baby sister Johannah, the 16th addition to the family. Parents Michelle (39) and Jim Bob Duggar (40) have said in an interview that they'd love to have more children.
	An unusual fashion show 巴黎时装展上的"牛头马面" A model presents a creation by Russian designer Alena Akmhadullina during the Spring/Summer 2006 shows in Paris, October 2, 2005.

 

 

World in Words
Collected & translated by Beverly

"With the trend of later marriage, we were interested to find out if people were living alone longer, or living with a partner and then marrying later."
"晚婚趋势日益凸显, 我们很想知道究竟是人们单身的时间长了, 还是同居依然, 只不过结婚晚了. "
According to a new study by the US Census Bureau, people in the northeast marry later than people in the south.
--据美国人口调查局研究显示, 东北人比南方人晚婚.

"We both just love children and we consider each a blessing from the Lord. "
"我们俩都很喜欢孩子, 我们觉得每个孩子都是上帝的恩赐. "
Jim Bob Duggar, husband of Michelle Duggar, who has just delivered their 16th child. They're already thinking about doing it again.
--鲍勃·达戈尔很兴奋, 因为他的妻子米歇尔·达戈尔刚为他产下第16个孩子, 而他们还计划要更多孩子.

"Cry and you are out of here."
"如果你哭, 你就得离开这里. "
One taboo from earlier times continues to endure in the workplace: women are not allowed to cry at the office.
--至今依然流传着很早以前的一条职场禁忌, 那就是: 女性在工作地点绝不能哭.

"If you don't understand the offside rule, don't ask a man - find a woman. "
"如果你搞不懂足球的越位规则, 那么不要去问男士--找位女士吧. "
According to a survey of 2,000 customers of an English sports bar, women know more than men about soccer.
--英国某运动酒吧对2000名消费者进行了调查, 结果发现女人比男人更了解足球.