BEIJING (AP) — Chinese astronauts returned to earth and emerged triumphant from their capsule Sunday after successfully completing the country's first-ever spacewalk mission.

    State broadcaster CCTV showed their Shenzhou 7 spaceship landing under clear skies in the grasslands of China's northern Inner Mongolia region at 5:37 p.m. local time. Premier Wen Jiabao applauded at mission control in Beijing.

    "The astronauts feel very good," mission commander Zhai Zhigang said as the vessel floated down to earth on a red and white striped giant parachute.

    After landing, the three astronauts were seen sipping bottled water as they were given medical examinations inside the module. They stayed inside for about 45 minutes to adapt to the Earth's gravity before slowly crawling out of the narrow circular entrance of the capsule.

    CCTV showed the astronauts each waving as they emerged and sat on blue fold-out chairs outside the capsule. They were each presented with a bouquet of flowers.

    "It was a glorious mission, full of challenges with a successful end," Zhai said. "We feel proud of the motherland."

    Saturday's space walk, which was broadcast live and watched by crowds gathered around outdoor television screens, further stoked national pride one month after the close of the Beijing Olympics.

    The spacewalk was mainly aimed at testing China's mastery of the technology involved. Zhai's sole task was to retrieve a rack attached to the outside of the orbital module containing an experiment involving solid lubricants.

    Tethered to handles attached to the Shenzhou 7 ship's orbital module, Zhai remained outside for about 13 minutes before climbing back inside.

    A successful spacewalk paves the way for assembling a space station from two Shenzhou orbital modules, the next major goal of China's manned spaceflight program.

    China is also pursuing lunar exploration and may attempt to land a man on the moon in the next decade — possibly ahead of NASA's 2020 target date for returning to the moon. 

    北京（下午）——中国宇航员成功完成本国有史以来首次太空行走后返回地球，从太空舱成功走出。

    当地时间下午 5:37，官方电视台CCTV对“神七”在内蒙古草原晴朗的天空下着陆进行了直播。总理温家宝在北京的飞控中心对任务的完成进行了祝贺。

    “宇航员感觉良好。”当飞船在一个红白相间的降落伞的帮助下成功着陆后任务指挥员翟志刚说。

    着陆后，当医生在返回舱内对他们进行体检时三名宇航员喝着矿泉水。他们在返回舱内呆了45分钟以适应地球的重力，这才通过狭窄的圆门慢慢地爬出来。

    CCTV全程直播了宇航员出舱的过程，直到他们坐在飞船外面的蓝色折叠椅上。有专人向三人献了鲜花。

    “这是一个辉煌的任务，充满了挑战，以成功结束。”翟志刚说。“我们为祖国感到骄傲。”

    电视对周六的太空漫步进行了直播，成千上万的人聚集在屋外电视屏幕前进行观看，继一个月前北京奥运会成功举行后，这进一步增强了中国人民的自豪感。

    太空行走主要是为了验证中国此项技术的掌握程度。翟志刚的唯一任务是取走附着在轨道舱外部模块的一个部件，里面包含一个固体润滑材料试验样品。

    通过连接“神七”轨道舱的系缆，翟志刚在飞船外部停留了大约13分钟。

    太空行走的成功为建立对接两个神舟轨道舱的空间站铺平了道路，空间站是中国载人航天计划的下一个主要目标。

    中国也在寻求月球开发计划，想努力实现十年内中国人在月球着陆——可能比美国航天局2020年重返月球的时间提前。