The return capsule of the Shenzhou 8 spacecraft parachuted to a safe landing in Inner Mongolia on Thursday, wrapping up China's first docking mission ahead of manned flights next year.
No astronauts were aboard the capsule, which touched down at about 1130 GMT (6:30 a.m. EST) in China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region. Views of landing were broadcast on Chinese state-run television.
Landing occurred at 7:30 p.m. Beijing time. It was after nightfall in the touchdown zone in the Central Asia steppes.
