Top Chinese leaders attended a grand gathering Saturday morning in Beijing to celebrate the country's successful manned space flight in mid-October.
Leaders met the two astronauts who orbited the earth aboard Shenzhou-VI, and professionals and officials involved in the space program at the Great Hall of the People.
Shenzhou VI lifted off on a Long March 2F carrier rocket from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Oct. 12 for a five-day mission carrying astronauts Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng.
Having two crew on board is a departure from October 2003, when Yang Liwei spent 21 hours on a s mission that made China only the third country after the United States and the former Soviet Union to achieve the feat.
Astronauts awarded "Hero" title
Premier Wen Jiabao announced at the meeting a central government decision to award Taikonauts Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng, who flew the Shenzhou VI spaceship, with the title of "Hero Taikonaut" and the medals of "Space Flight Achievement".
Source: Xinhua News Agency
