Exhibition on "China's First Spacewalk Mission" opens today (With photos/video)

Exhibition on "China's First Spacewalk Mission" opens today (With photos/video)
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     The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Henry Tang, and three astronauts of the Shenzhou-7 mission, Zhai Zhigang, Liu Boming and Jing Haipeng, who are visiting Hong Kong, officiated at the opening ceremony of the exhibition on "China's First Spacewalk Mission" at the Hong Kong Science Museum today (December 6).

     Other officiating guests at the ceremony were the leader of the delegation of the Shenzhou-7 manned space mission and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of China's Manned Space Engineering Programme, Mr Zhang Jianqi; the Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Ms Hua Jian; the Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Mr Li Gang; the Chief Designer of China's Manned Space Engineering Programme, Mr Zhou Jianping; the Director of the Office of China's Manned Space Engineering Programme, Mr Wang Wenbao; the Vice-General Manager of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, Mr Yuan Jiajun; the Head of the International Cooperation Department of China's Manned Space Engineering Programme, Mr Yu Jianguo; the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Tsang Tak-sing; and the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Mr Thomas Chow.

     The exhibition is organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) and the China's Manned Space Engineering Office, in association with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation and the China Astronaut Research and Training Centre.

     Introducing China's manned space programme and the spacewalk mission accomplished by Shenzhou-7 astronauts, the exhibition features the re-entry capsule of the Shenzhou-7 spacecraft, spacesuits, the national flag displayed and the gloves worn by the astronaut during the spacewalk. Other major exhibits include the main parachute of the Shenzhou-7 spacecraft, working journals and astronaut backpacks, space food, seeds carried by the spacecraft, models of Shenzhou-7 spacecraft and Changzheng (Long March) 2F rocket, and about 100 photos in relation to the spacewalk mission.

     Visitors to the exhibition, upon presentation of a ticket, will receive a special display pamphlet and a sticker. The pamphlet contains a detailed explanation on highlight exhibits and is illustrated with photographs taken during the spacewalk mission.

     Opening hours of the 10-day exhibition are as follows:

* Today (December 6): from 1pm to 10pm;
* Tomorrow (December 7): from 9am to 10pm;
* December 8 to 12 (Monday to Friday): from 9am to 9pm;
* December 13 and 14 (Saturday and Sunday): from 9am to 10pm; and
* December 15 (Monday): from 9am to 3pm.

     Opening hours of the exhibition will be divided into hourly sessions to accommodate more visitors. Admission to the exhibition is by free ticket.  Due to popular response, about 50,300 of the 66,600 free tickets had been distributed up to yesterday (December 5). A small number of tickets are still available on a first-come-first-served basis at the Science Museum's box office while stock lasts. The box office of the Science Museum will open daily from 9am to 9pm during the exhibition until December 14.

     LCSD's Museum Passes and Weekly Passes will not apply to this special exhibition. Apart from this Spacewalk exhibition, the other parts of the Science Museum including the permanent exhibitions and the "Sports Arena" special exhibition will not be open on December 11, which is the regular closing day of the museum.

     A number of tickets for week-day sessions will be reserved for schools and social welfare organisations subvented by Social Welfare Department or members of the Hong Kong Council of Social Services, and distribution is on a first-come-first-served basis. Each school will be offered a maximum of 100 tickets while a maximum of 50 tickets for each social welfare organisation. The application form for group visits can be downloaded from http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/forms_sj7.pdf or http://hk.science.museum/download/CFSM_SWGV.rtf. Completed forms should be sent by fax to 2311 2248 or 2367 5459.

     The Science Museum is located at 2 Science Museum Road, Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon. For further details of the exhibition, please visit the Science Museum's website at http://hk.science.museum. For enquiries, please call 1823.

Ends/Saturday, December 6, 2008
Issued at HKT 13:01

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