According to the China Manned Space Engineering Office, Shenzhou-18 is aiming to launch at 20:59 on April 25. The astronaut crew for the Shenzhou-18 manned mission is composed of three astronauts: Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu.
Among them, Li Cong, a 02 astronaut born in 1989, was selected as the third batch of astronauts in the mainland in September 2020, and was evaluated by Ye Guangfu, the commander of this mission, as "quick thinking, lively personality, strong understanding ability, and strong hands-on ability". From pilot to astronaut, what kind of experience did he have, and how did he pursue his dream of astronautics? What are his expectations for this space business trip?
When he was a child, "coward" and "hard work + luck" made him an astronaut
Li Cong was born in Handan, Hebei Province, and before becoming an astronaut, he was an Air Force fighter pilot.
Astronaut Li Cong: When I was in my third year of high school, I liked sports more, and I also had certain specialties in sports, and many people said, "Your personality is suitable for being a pilot", and that was the first time I heard the word "pilot".
Li Cong said that when he was a child, he was a relatively timid person, and he didn't dare to sit on the "big turntable" of the amusement park. But when he went through a series of selections and examinations, he was successfully admitted to the Air Force Aviation University and began to "get married" with space, "everything was different".
Li Cong told reporters that almost all pilots are very eager to become astronauts and go to more distant space. In an astronaut selection around 2018, after a series of selections and tests, he "stood out" and finally entered the astronaut team.
At the selection site, Li Cong and Nie Haisheng took a group photo.
Li Cong attributed entering the astronaut team to the result of "hard work + luck".
After learning the final result, "there was a little bit of excitement in the plain", and his family was very supportive of joining the astronaut family. "When my dad found out about the news, he replied with an understatement, 'Got it', and later he said he was very excited, but he didn't know how to express it. ”
Li Cong: "Special circumstances" can happen at any time, "sleep with one eye open"
Although there is only one word difference between aerospace and aviation, there is a world of difference in the content to be studied.
After coming into contact with aerospace, Li Cong had to start learning again, especially the underwater out-of-cabin training, which is a training subject that integrates strength, skill and flexibility and coordination.
Wearing a heavy extravehicular suit and conducting out-of-cabin simulation training in the tank for a long time is considered by many astronauts to be one of the most difficult subjects to train. When Li Cong first came into contact with underwater training, it was only a basic action such as boarding the foot limiter, which also required repeated practice and continuous improvement.
Astronaut Li Cong: I can't see where my feet are, I can only look through the reflector, which is basically a blind operation. 01 will tell us what it feels like in the sky, what it feels like in the sink, and what it feels like to be different from the sink.
Li Cong revealed that in addition to various space science experiments and experiments, there is also a maintenance work for the space station, which requires two astronauts to go out of the capsule to cooperate.
The selection process of the mission crew needs to consider the flight experience, personal characteristics and mission compatibility of the astronauts, and of course, the compatibility and coordination between them are also very important factors.
Because they are far away in outer space, astronauts in the space station may face a variety of unexpected situations at any time, such as the impact and collision of space debris, so they need to be prepared to deal with "special situations" at any time. "This kind of 'special situation' may happen when you are sleeping or resting, and you have to be prepared all the time and sleep with one eye open. ”
"Looking forward to *5!" he took his daughter's handmade products made of fetal hair into space
For his first space journey, Li Cong is full of expectations and confidence. He said that he is looking forward to the feeling of real space weightlessness, looking forward to experiencing the construction of a space home, looking forward to overlooking the earth from the space station, looking forward to communicating with the Shenzhou 17 crew, and of course, the most expected is to complete the scheduled tasks perfectly. "How to complete the six-month flight mission safely, smoothly, without errors and without mistakes is both a challenge and a goal. ”
Li Cong is training in spacecraft operation
Li Cong said that the gift was prepared by his wife, and he only knew that it was a handmade product made of the fetal hair of his two daughters, and he had not yet seen what it looked like, and he could only see the "express" after entering space.
Li Cong told reporters that his two twin daughters will be 4 years old soon, and they are still in kindergarten, and they only know that their father has flown planes and been pilots, but they don't have much concept of astronauts. And on this space business trip, Li Cong can only accompany his children remotely in space to celebrate their birthdays. However, he is fully prepared and confident that he will be able to complete the task successfully.
Source: Voice of China of China Central Radio and Television