"NASA wishes China success on the launch of Shenzhou-7 and the safe return of its crew," a spokesman for the US space agency told Xinhua on the eve of the mission.

China has announced that the Shenzhou-7 spacecraft will lift off on Thursday night. This will be the third Chinese manned space mission, but the first time Chinese astronauts perform a spacewalk.

"Spacewalks are very important to space exploration," said Michael Braukus, the public affair officer at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C. "Spacewalks will probably be necessary in the repair and assembly of future exploration spacecraft."

He said NASA's Apollo missions demonstrated the scientific importance of leaving the spacecraft and venturing outside into the moon's hostile environment to collect samples and perform science experiments.

When asked about the prospect of cooperation between US and China in the field of space exploration, the spokesman told Xinhua that during the NASA Administrator -- Michael Griffin's visit to China in September 2006, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) and NASA agreed to form working groups for discussion in Earth science and space science.

"US and China meet for initial discussions and exchange information on subjects of mutual scientific interest, centered on complementary measurements and data exchanges on missions that are already being pursued," Braukus said. And the recent meetings took place on June 30 and July 1, 2008.

NASA's space exploration missions include expansion of human knowledge of our planet and phenomena in space. "International dialogues can increase this knowledge," said Braukus. "China's space program offers potential opportunities for cooperation in Earth and space science."

(Xinhua News Agency September 25, 2008)