国内英语新闻：Shenzhou-7 astronauts to meet press before blast-off

JIUQUAN, Gansu, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- The crew of China's Shenzhou-7 space mission is scheduled to meet the press at 17:30 on Wednesday.

    In addition, the headquarters of China's third manned space mission will hold another press conference at 14:30 Wednesday.

    The crew, who will conduct the first Chinese space walk, is waiting for a launch window at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern Gansu Province.

    Depending on weather, the launch is scheduled between Sept. 25 and 30.

The undated photo shows technicians help the Shenzhou-7 manned spaceship to dock with the Long-March II-F rocket at an assembly plant. The spaceship has been finished docking with the rocket recently.

    The Shenzhou-7 spacecraft will send three Chinese astronauts who will make a historical spacewalk.

    Six Chinese astronauts are ready for the mission, three pilots who will finally be aboard and three substitutes.

    However neither the military or the mission's headquarters has officially released their identities, even though many local websites had reported various stories on six favorites.

    According to the headquarters' release, three pilots and three substitutes said they were fully confident to successfully accomplish the mission.

    After three hours of tests and safety examinations in the last rehearsal on Monday, the mission has been given the green light.

    Scientists working for the mission said on Tuesday that the carrier rocket of the spacecraft was ready to be fueled, bringing the launch to the countdown status.