"I would like to wish China's first spacewalker the best of luck," former US astronaut Winston Scott, who had three spacewalks in record, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

China will launch its third manned space flight -- Shenzhou-7 mission between September 25 and September 30. During this mission, Chinese astronauts will perform a spacewalk for the first time.

"He is going to have a fantastic experience. I would urge him to take the spacewalk tasks slowly and deliberately. He should relax and enjoy the experience," Scott said.

He said spacewalking is a very important activity. It allows astronauts to accomplish activities that could not otherwise be accomplished. "For example, we could not successfully build the current International Space Station if we could not perform spacewalks."

"Spacewalks allow us to test and evaluate many pieces of equipment, new procedures and techniques in the vacuum of space. Many of these tests could not be satisfactorily evaluated without spacewalks," he added.

Scott was an active NASA astronaut from 1992 to 1999. He flew on space shuttle mission STS-72 in 1996 and STS-87 in 1997, and altogether he conducted three spacewalks. "I conducted many tests of tools and equipment currently being used to construct the space station," he said.

"My first spacewalk was during STS-72. It lasted approximately six hours and 53 minutes," he recalled. "What impressed me most was the beauty of the universe. I could see the brightness of the Earth beneath me, the Earth in the distance and not right beneath my feet. It was a totally different view than what you get standing on the Earth's surface."

Also among the STS-72 crew was the famous Chinese-American astronaut Leroy Chiao. Scott and Chiao performed that spacewalk together, "Leroy was a great person to perform a spacewalk. He was very knowledgeable and very helpful. He was an experienced astronaut on STS-72 whereas I was inexperienced. I enjoyed working with him very much."

There are many differences between working inside and outside of the space shuttle. Scott said the biggest difference is the space suit. "Our space suits are big, bulky, and difficult to work in. The suit gloves are also bulky and make it difficult to conduct any fine small work with hands." However, inside the shuttle, "we can work in regular casual clothing."

The most difficult task occurred during STS-87 when he and his partner manually captured an errant satellite. "The satellite had malfunctioned and could not be captured with the space shuttle robot arm. Therefore we had to catch it by hand." Finally, the satellite was successfully retrieved and returned to the Earth.

Describing himself as a friend of Yang Liwei, China's first astronaut, Scott was greatly impressed by the Chinese astronauts. "I think the Chinese astronauts are excellent. They are highly selected, highly educated and trained professionals who will advance the Chinese space program greatly."

Scott hosted a reception in Florida for Yang and a Chinese space delegation in 2004 when he was the executive director of the Florida Space Authority.

He said he was amazed at the rapid speed in which the Chinese space program has progressed. "I applaud the people of China on such success and wish them continued success in space."

For spacewalking, Scott said, there are many technical challenges facing spacewalkers in the future. "Primary among them is safety. We must do what we can to ensure spacewalkers are not injured during spacewalks. We all must work to ensure that spacewalking equipment and suits continue to be advanced to provide greater comfort as well."

Scott said he certainly can envision a day "when we all will work closer together in the exploration of space. We can accomplish more working together than we ever could working apart."

(Xinhua News Agency September 24, 2008)