Chinese taikonaut Liu Boming salutes in front of a Chinese national flag during a press conference at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gansu Province, September 24, 2008. The Shenzhou-7 spaceship will carry Zhai Zhigang, Liu Boming and Jing Haipeng, all aged 42, for China's third manned space mission that will include the country's first-ever space walk. Liu Boming was born in Yi'an County, Qiqihar, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. Liu joined the People's Liberation Army in 1985 and clocked 1,050 hours of safe flight time. Liu was also one of the six astronauts in the final training for Shenzhou 6 mission in 2005.

Chinese taikonaut Zhai Zhigang salutes in front of a Chinese national flag during a press conference at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gansu Province, September 24, 2008. The Shenzhou-7 spaceship will carry Zhai Zhigang, Liu Boming and Jing Haipeng, all aged 42, for China's third manned space mission that will include the country's first-ever space walk. Zhai Zhigang was born in Longjiang County, Qiqihar, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. Zhai enrolled at the People's Liberation Army Air Force Aviation Institute and studied to be a fighter pilot. In his service as a PLAAF fighter pilot he had accumulated 950 hours of safe flight time.

Chinese taikonaut Jing Haipeng salutes in front of a Chinese national flag during a press conference at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gansu Province, September 24, 2008. The Shenzhou-7 spaceship will carry Zhai Zhigang, Liu Boming and Jing Haipeng, all aged 42, for China's third manned space mission that will include the country's first-ever space walk. Jing Haipeng was born in Yuncheng City of north China's Shanxi Province. Jing joined the People's Liberation Army in 1985 and clocked 1,200 hours of safe flight time. Jing was among the six trainees in for the Shenzhou 6 mission in 2005.

(Xinhua News Agency September 24, 2008)