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Chinese astronauts back on terra firma

China`s second manned space mission ended in success on Sunday as the "Shenzhou 6" capsule carrying astronauts Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng touched down at 4:32 a.m Chinese regional time in the middle of the Gobi Desert. Wu Bangguo, the No. 2 figure in China`s ruling Communist Party, was shown on television screens watching the astronaut`s return.

The Communist Party has tried its best to portray China as a growing technological power, and since China is only the third country to be able to send up and retrieve people in space on its own, the government in Beijing doesn`t have to try too hard.

There were numerous tests conducted during the mission, the data from which may be released later. China`s ascendancy to space power may prompt the beginning of a new space race as U.S. president George W. Bush has