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Three Chinese astronauts in the orbiting Tiangong-1 space lab module received greetings from President Hu Jintao on Tuesday.

In the 3-minute talk, Hu, who visited the Beijing Aerospace Control Center, asked the astronauts how they felt after spending nearly 10 days in space.

Mission commander Jing Haipeng said they were in good condition, and added they are very proud that "Chinese astronauts have their own home in space now."

Watching the astronauts on a big screen, Hu smiled and praised the crew for their "excellent performance" in China's first manned space docking mission. "We and your families are looking forward to your successful and safe return," he said.

The talk was broadcast live on TV. Footage provided by the control center also showed that Liu Yang, China's first female astronaut, was combing her hair before the talk began. She smiled during the whole talk with the president.

Liu, the 34-year-old former air force pilot, has become a media darling for her smile and charm.

Media has reported on every detail of her life in space, from tying a Chinese knot, to browsing photo albums and doing forward rolls in the module.

The three astronauts are expected to spend three more days in space before returning to Earth on Friday. Their landing site is in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

Experts said thunderstorms and hailstones, which are common in the summer on grasslands, are likely to affect the capsule's re-entry.

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