Taikonauts prepare for China's first spacewalk

Three Chinese astronauts made final preparations in Jiuquan, Gansu province before the launch of a mission that will include the country’s first spacewalk, AFP reported. The Shenzhou VII, the name of the spacecraft, "is a new breakthrough" for China’s space program, said Zhai Zhigang, one of the three that will launch into orbit this evening. Zhai has been identified by a government website as the crew member who will test a new Chinese-made spacesuit on the space walk. In the US, Shu Quansheng, a Chinese-born scientist who runs a high-tech company in Virginia, has been charged with illegally selling rocket technology to China and offering bribes to Chinese officials.