China's first space walkers wives praise their achievement

Beijing, Sept.29 : The wives of China's first astronauts to walk in space have hardly been able to contain their excitement and emotion over the achievement.

Astronauts' wives Zhang Yao, Zhang ping and Zhang Shujing said they were all happy that the goal had been achieved with success and safety.

Xinhua quoted Zhang Shujing, the wife of Zhai Zhigang, who made his historic walk in space and waved the national flag, as saying: "When he opened the hatch door, my hands were full of sweat."

She said she had lost seven pounds over the past two weeks.

"Now I have prepared lilies and a rose for my husband's return. The rose represents my heart," she said.

"I feel so proud of him. I am just so proud and lucky to have such a great husband."

During the three-day mission, Zhang Shujing and the wives of the two other astronauts may have been the most nervous and anxious people on Earth.

When their husbands were making history in space, Zhang Shujing, Zhang Yao and Zhang Ping all donned red clothes on Saturday as Chinese tradition regards red as a color of joy and good luck.

They talked with the astronauts from the Beijing ground control center on Saturday night.

Zhang Ping, the wife of Jing Haipeng, said: "I have never felt the time go by so slowly."

She said that she was a bit surprised to find her husband "look younger in space than on Earth".

She noticed every detail of Jing's work in space. "He read the manual attentively, sometimes scratching something on it with a pencil. They did an excellent job."

Zhang Yao, wife of Liu Boming, said her husband's performance was "perfect".

She said she plans to travel to Lushan Mountain with her husband after the mission.

ANI