(China Daily) After 12 hours on board, the two Chinese astronauts who were shot up into orbit aboard the Shenzhou VI spacecraft finally had a chance to do something personal: at around 9:30 last night they were able to talk to their families.

Astronaut Nie Haisheng, who turns to 41 today, received a "happy birthday" greeting from his daughter Nie Tianxiang when she sung to him from the Beijing Aerospace Command and Control Centre.

The father was moved to tears during his talks with his family.

Nie's wife, Nie Jielin, wished him "good luck!"

She said she saw him embark on the march with confidence earlier yesterday morning while large snow flakes fell.

The other astronaut Fei Junlong received an invitation from his son, Fei Di.

"How is the feeling of weightlessness?" his son asked. "Let's go fishing when you return."

Fei's wife Wang Jie said: "We are so relieved to see you are fine, we are proud of you."

She wished that the space mission would be a complete success.

The orbit-to-ground phone calls lasted for seven minutes.

Earlier yesterday, the launch of the spacecraft had caused a huge sensation in the two astronauts' hometowns.

In Kunshan, East China's Jiangsu Province, Fei's parents, together with all the villagers, burst into applause and set off firecrackers to celebrate the successful launch of the spacecraft.

"We never imagined my son would become an astronaut," said father Fei Changbao, who is 69 years old.

"He is the pride of our whole village," said fellow villager Qian Huiying.

Fei's parents got up at about 4:30 am to watch the China Central Television live broadcast.

In Zaoyang, Central China's Hubei Province, Nie was hailed a hero.

Nie's mother, wearing a red sweater given to her by her son, shed tears when she watched the spacecraft's successful launch on TV.

"I feel so excited and proud of my brother," said Nie Daozhi, Nie Haisheng's sister.

Shi Tiandong, Nie's classmate in senior middle school, said Nie had a strong mental disposition and great passion for planes when he was a child.

"He told us that his dream was to be a plane designer, to work for an aerospace company," Shi said.