Astronaut Yang says "hello" to world people China's first astronaut Yang Liwei on board of Shenzhou-5 talked to Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan at about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday (Beijing time) via live communication systems. Yang also called his family in Beijing from space at 7:58 p.m.

With the live footage of Yang in his cockpit being shown on a huge screen in the center, Cao, also member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission and state councilor, sent warm regards to the spacefarer from the Beijing Aerospace Command and Control Center.

"On behalf of the CPC Central Committee, the State Council and the Central Military Commission," Cao said, "I would like to send my warmest regards to you and show my gratitude for your great contribution to our nation's space mission."

Cao expressed his hope that Yang will fulfill the rest tasks before the whole nation welcomes his glorious return.

Chinese astronaut calls family from space -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From his spacecraft in outer space, Yang said hello to people across the world. "I will strive to complete my tasks well and ensure the full success of the mission," Yang said to Cao.

The live communication was carried out while the spaceship orbited the earth for the sixth time.

During his flight, the astronaut kept close contact with the command and control center and talked to other officers in the center. Yang also slept in the capsule for about three hours.

China blasted off a powerful rocket carrying the nation's first manned spacecraft, Shenzhou-5, at 9:00 Wednesday in a remote launch site in the northwestern province of Gansu.

Chinese astronaut calls family from space Yang Liwei told his family in a phone call from space he felt "very good" in space, which looks splendid, space officials said Wednesday.

"I'm feeling very good in space, and it looks extremely splendid around here," the 38 year-old astronaut told wife over the phone.

"I caught the sight of our beautiful home (the Earth) and recorded all what I've seen here," he told his "dear son" in the family chat which started at 7:58 p.m. (Beijing Time).

Yang blasted off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center earlier Monday in the northwest province of Gansu, becoming the first Chinese sent to outer space.

The launch made China the third country in the world after the former Soviet Union and the United States to put man in space.

Yang, who is 1.68 meters high, was born to a teacher's family in Suizhong County in Liaoning Province, northeast China. His wife Zhang Yumei works for China Space City in the outskirts of Beijing.Their son is 8 years old.

Prior to this family chat, Yang talked with Cao Gangchuan, Chinese defense minister, expressing his determination to strive to complete his tasks well and ensure the full success of the mission.

Weather favorable for return The landing of China's first manned spacecraft following a 21-hour orbiting will go on in favorable climatic conditions early Thursday, experts predicted.

According to the local meteorological station at the priority landing site in Inner Mongolia, north China, the weather will be clear with good vision throughout Thursday.

It will be clear to cloudy, with temperatures between minus four and eight Celsius degrees. The wind speed will be four to six meters per second, and visibility will be over 10 kilometers, according to Wang Yongsheng, director of the meteorological station.

Wang explained that the landing requires a wind speed limit of less than 10 meters per second at low altitude of 300 meters or lower and less than 70 meters per second in the upper atmosphere, no clouds at altitude lower than 1,000 meters and no rainfall or snow, and visibility of no less than 10 kilometers.