The space environment will be "fine" during China's Shenzhou-7 manned space mission, the Center for Space Environment Research and Forecast (CSERF) under Chinese Academy of Sciences said on Wednesday.

The space environment tended to be stable and calm as the solar activities have been reductive, which would be favorable for the launch of the spacecraft and extravehicular activity (EVA), or known as space walk, according to the latest prediction of CSERF.

The sunspot group had been exhausted on September 23, and the geomagnetic activities would be in a low level from September 25 to 30, which would provide a favorable environment to taikonauts (astronauts) during the EVA mission, said Liu Siqing, deputy director of the center.

The next two to three years would be favorable for manned space missions, as the solar activities will be in the low level, Liu said.

He, however, added that there could still be ourbursts of solar particles, posing threats to astronauts.

For example, the astronauts were warned to evacuate into the International Space Station when the sunspot appeared suddenly in December 2006, he added.

The high energy particle radiation and the low magnetic field would put the taikonauts' lives on risks, said Gong Jiancun, director of the center.

The space environment is influenced by many factors, in which the solar activity is the most major one, Gong said.

The center made its first prediction in late April and starting from Tuesday it would submit a space environment report to the headquarters and each operation system daily until the mission was completed. This has been the practice ever since the Shenzhou-1 space mission.

The report covers high-energy electrons, high-energy protons, X-rays and geomagnetic fields, which would affect the flight of the spacecraft.

The center will suggest to shorten or change the mission time, or even cancel it, if the space environment turns unfavorable, Gong said.

"The center will keep on high alert to monitor the solar activities to guarantee the mission perfectly safe," he said.

China will launch its third manned spacecraft Shenzhou-7 from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu province in the northwest on Thursday, said Wang Zhaoyao, spokesman with China's manned space program.

One of the major tasks of the mission would be EVA, the first of its kind attempted by Chinese taikonauts (astronauts), said Wang, also deputy director of China's manned space program office.

Other tasks included the release of a small monitoring satellite and trials of satellite data relay.

(Xinhua News Agency September 24, 2008)