China's first astronaut to carry out a spacewalk will be connected to the spacecraft at all times with a special rope, website Sina.com reported Thursday.

"The spacewalk is not a free walk as the astronaut will be connected to Shenzhou VII by a special rope with which the astronaut can use to maneuver outside the spacecraft." Zhou Xudong, the deputy chief system designer of the manned space project, told reporters in Nanjing Wednesday.

The spacewalker will put on the only Chinese-made and designed spacewalk suit, worth 30 million yuan, not the previously speculated 100 million yuan (US$14.61 million). There was not enough time to produce another suit, the report said.

The Shenzhou VII spacecraft consists of three modules – an air-brake module, return module and propelling module. The air-brake module is vital to the spacewalk as all preparations for it, including putting on and taking off the spacesuit, will take place in this part of the ship, Zhou said.

After two of the three astronauts enter the air-brake module, one will put on the spacewalk suit while the other helps. The assisting astronaut will then return to the orbit module and close the door. The pressure in the air-brake module will be discharged to create a vacuum and the other astronaut will then complete the spacewalk mission. Afterwards, the astronaut will return to the air-brake module and reduce the pressure in the suit, then increase the air pressure so that he can take off the suit, according to the report.

Shenzhou VII will blast off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu Province between September 25 and 30.

(Shanghai Daily September 19, 2008)