¡¡¡¡BEIJING, Oct. 15 (Xinhuanet) -- Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei called his family in Beijing from space at 7:58 p.m. (Beijing Time), space officials said Wednesday.

¡¡¡¡Yang, 38, 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. Enditem