US Astronaut Leroy Chiao: "Make China Our New Partner in Space"

The Tiangong-1 is now undergoing its final preparations for its launch tonight from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu.

Ahead of the historic launch, CRI secured an opportunity to talk to one of the few astronauts who has spent time living and working in space.

From Washington, CRI corespondent Wang Shanshan.

Leroy Chiao holds three distinctions, including the first and only Chinese American commander on the International Space Station, the first Chinese American to conduct space walk, and the first American to visit China's Astronaut Research and Training Center.

Chiao earned his PhD in Chemical Engineering in 1987, and after a short stint as an engineer in the private sector, decided to join NASA.

A veteran of four space missions and six space walks, Chiao says working on the space station was a culmination of his dreams.

"The most rewarding part being up there was performing the science investigation, doing experiments, because we were doing work that generally could not be done anywhere else."

And on the experimental front, Chiao is very familiar with the research that is done in space.

"One of the best experiments I did involved using ultrasound. What we were demonstrating was telemedicine. What we were able to do was to use the ultrasound machine, under the communication with the doctor on the ground, to produce diagnosed quality images of each other's internal organs. This is gonna be useful for long missions, and also has applications on the ground. "

Chiao left NASA in late 2005 after 15-years with NASA.

Still, he stays very closely connected with what's happening on the 'space front,' recently publishing an article for CNN online, titled "Make China Our New Space Partner."

"I personally think the right thing to do is to include China in ISS. We've shown through our partnership with Russia that it is a positive thing. I think it will be even more beneficial to bring China into the ISS and future space exploration programs."

Chiao points out that involving China in the ISS is more than a political issue.

With the recent failure of a Russian Soyuz rocket -- the same rockets that carry supplies to the International Space Station -- having China involved in International Space Station could be a life-line for the crews on-board the ISS.

"The Shenzhou could be another vehicle that could fly to ISS. I think it will be beneficial to both our programs."

And as for tonight's expected launch of the Tiangong-1.

"Tiangong-1 is important to China because this will enable China to develop the capability to rendezvous and dock. The technology I've seen is quite good. Really what China lacks is just experience, because China has only flown 3 space missions in 8 years. As China flies more and more missions, it will get that experience."

Leroy Chiao has also served on a White House panel on spaceflight, which has concluded that international cooperation in space has been one of the major successes of the International Space Station itself.

WSS, CRI news, Washington.