BEIJING (Reuters) - Astronauts readying for China's next leap into space have arrived at the launch site of the Shenzhou VII craft, official media reported, as enthusiasm grows over the Olympic host nation's next attention-grabbing feat.
The Shenzhou VII is set to blast off on a Long March rocketlater this week for China's third manned spaceflight. It willcarry three astronauts, including one aiming to make China'sfirst space walk.
Three candidate astronauts and three back-ups in case oflast-minute changes arrived at the Jiuquan Satellite LaunchCentre in the remote northwest on Sunday, Xinhua news agencyreported. They will be quarantined until the launch, set forThursday unless bad weather upsets plans.
"The six astronauts in blue training suits got off theplane (at Jiuquan) in vigorous spirit, the national flagdazzling on their chests," the China News Service reported.
They said they were "full of confidence that the ShenzhouVII flight will successfully complete all its tasks".
China's first manned space flight in 2003 was greeted withtriumphant publicity, as was the second in 2005. China is onlythe third country to put humans in space, after the formerSoviet Union and the United States.
Last year, China also sent into orbit its first lunar probeand its longer-term goals include eventually establishing aspace station and landing on the moon.
State media are already exulting the nation's next displayof technological strength after last month's Beijing Olympicsat which China topped the gold medal table.
"I feel even more profoundly the glory of being anastronaut," Fei Junlong, who flew on China's second mannedspaceflight in 2005, told the Chinese-language Oriental Outlookmagazine.
"The Chinese people have stood up in the eyes offoreigners," he said, citing the words of an aged supporter. "Iam proud for our great motherland."
(Reporting by Chris Buckley; Editing by Nick Macfie)
