BRUSSELS, Oct. 12 (Xinhuanet) -- Belgian astronaut Frank de Winne on
Wednesday wished China success in its second manned space mission and Chinese
spacemen a smooth journey in the next five days.
De Winne, from the European Space Agency (ESA), is the fourth European
astronaut who has boarded the International Space Station.
He told Xinhua that China has independently turned into the third country
with manned space flight after Russia and the UnitedStates, a feat Europe has
not accomplished yet.
The second manned space flight with over 100 technical improvements shows
China's rapid development and strength in this field, the Belgian astronaut
said.
The success of the mission will not only promote China's development, but
also turn into a great contribution to that of mankind, de Winne said.
De Winne also humorously advised Chinese astronauts, Fei Junlong and Nie
Haisheng, not to miss marvelous scenes in space, especially to admire the Earth
from spacecraft's windows during the trip.
They can share the wonderful feelings with 1.3 billion Chinese people after
they return, de Winne said.
China's Shenzhou VI spacecraft successfully sent two astronautsinto the
orbit at 9:00 a.m. Beijing time (0100GMT) on Wednesday.