Beijing, 26 Jan (China News Service) -- Title: "Space Teacher" Sets A New Record Wang Yaping became China's longest-time astronaut in orbit
Author Marsa Marsa
"China has its first male astronaut, when will there be a female astronaut?" In 2003, China's first manned spacecraft, Shenzhou V, was successfully launched with astronaut Yang Liwei, and Wang Yaping, who was still an Air Force pilot at the time, watched the tail flames of the rocket launch in front of the TV and had such an idea in his mind.
In 2010, after a series of strict selections, Wang Yaping became the first batch of female astronauts in China as she wished; today, with the implementation of the Shenzhou 13 mission, she has also become China's longest-accumulated astronaut in orbit a few days ago.
Astronaut Wang Yaping. Courtesy of China Manned Space Engineering Office
On October 16, 2021, astronauts Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu boarded the Shenzhou 13 manned spacecraft and successfully entered the Tianhe core module, and Chinese astronauts will stay in orbit for the first time for 6 months. This is both the second stick of the flight crew in the Chinese space station mission and the first stick of female astronauts. Wang Yaping, who was known in the past as "China's first space teacher", also set a number of "first" records in the Shenzhou 13 mission.
The mission is Wang Yaping's second voyage into space after the Shenzhou 10 mission in 2013, and she has become the first female astronaut in China to enter space twice and the first female astronaut to enter the Chinese space station.
Since "staying in Tiangong" for more than 3 months, Wang Yaping's work and life in orbit have been fully arranged. On November 8, 2021, less than a month into space, Wang Yaping completed the first extravehicular activity of the Shenzhou 13 astronaut crew, taking the first step in China's female extravehicular spacewalk.
Data map: Zhai Zhigang and Ye Guangfu, as space photographers, took high-definition beautiful pictures for Wang Yaping, taking everyone to see the small luck of space station life. Image source: China Manned Space Engineering Office
The space environment will not change because of the arrival of women, nor will the threshold be lowered because they are women. The two expeditions and the first time in the cabin put forward higher requirements for Wang Yaping's daily training. In the physical intensive training, Wang Yaping was 3 minutes ahead of the full score standard in the 3000-meter assessment; in the physical equipment training, she practiced for 1 hour each time in addition to the prescribed class time; in the underwater training of the out-of-the-cabin activity, how long the male astronaut insisted underwater, and how long she also insisted underwater.
During the 6.5-hour outgoing activity, she wore the "Shiny Gold" extravehicular space suit newly sent by the Tianzhou-3 cargo spacecraft, and cooperated with Zhai Zhigang to carry out operations such as the installation of the mechanical arm suspension device and adapter parts, and the test of typical extravehicular movements.
While completing the outgoing activities and on-orbit experiments, carrying out various forms of science education activities is also an important task of the "God Thirteen" multiplication group. On December 9 last year, Wang Yaping, Zhai Zhigang and Ye Guangfu conducted the first space lecture on the Chinese space station. After 8 years, Wang Yaping returned to the post of "space teacher" and stood on the "highest podium" to attend classes.
"Many children like aerospace because of this, and some children have applied for the aerospace major because of this, and even some children have become my colleagues now." She once said in an interview before the flight that it made her feel the meaning of space teaching, and she was particularly touched by the fact that when space was taught, the children who were not born were still looking at the video at that time.
"The first female astronaut of the Chinese space station", "the first time a Chinese female astronaut has been out of the cabin", "the first time the Chinese space station has started", "The Chinese astronaut with the longest cumulative time in orbit", staying in space for more than 3 months, Wang Yaping has had a lot of labels such as "first" and "most".
In a few days, she will celebrate the Spring Festival in space with Zhai Zhigang and Ye Guangfu, which is the first time that Chinese astronauts have spent the New Year in space. When asked in the interview what he brought to the sky, Wang Yaping revealed that bringing a relatively large musical instrument would show the culture of the Chinese nation in the sky, in addition, he also brought "a very condensed gift of love" for Zhai Zhigang and Ye Guangfu, and "surprised them both in the New Year".
The 6-month "space business trip" is still in progress, which also means that Wang Yaping will continue to refresh the record of time in orbit, as Wang Yaping said, "People often say that flying is an uncertain art, but for us astronauts, it will be determined by our performance in the sky", and people also expect her to continue to write the history of Chinese female astronauts. (End)