Source: China Overseas Chinese Network
China Overseas Chinese Network, September 18 - On September 17, the "God Twelve" returned triumphantly.
However, did you know that in the journey of exploring the vast universe, Chinese astronauts have long left their footprints of exploration and unveiled the mysteries of the universe layer by layer. Looking back today, Xiao Qiao will share their space story with you.
The picture shows the flight simulation of the Shenzhou XII spacecraft. The Fifth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Group Courtesy photo Source: China News Network
Zhang Fulin: 7 times into space
Born in Costa Rica in 1950, Zhang Fulin is a native of Guangdong and is of one-quarter Chinese descent. In 1980, he was selected as an astronaut by NASA, becoming NASA's first professional Chinese astronaut.
On January 12, 1986, Zhang Fulin entered space for the first time aboard the space shuttle Columbia and conducted a five-day scientific experiment.
Since then, he has gone into space 7 times and completed various missions brilliantly. He has accumulated more than 1,300 hours of time in space, making him the Chinese astronaut with the most frequent access to space.
During the sixth (1998) space shuttle mission, Zhang Fulin engaged in high-energy physics experiments for the "magnetic spectrometer" project presided over by Nobel Laureate Ding Zhaozhong, hoping to discover antimatter and try to open up the mystery of the universe. The flight also became a good story for two outstanding Chinese scientists to cooperate.
In November 2005, Zhang Fulin visited China, which became a new breakthrough in Sino-US exchanges in the field of aerospace.
Wang Ganjun: Jogging for 7 minutes over China
On April 29, 1985, Wang Ganjun became the first Chinese to fly into space, following the Challenger for a week in space, and was also the first scientist to go into space to do his own design experiments.
Originally from Yancheng, Jiangsu Province, Wang Ganjun went to the United States to study in 1963, received a master's degree in physics from the University of California in 1968, and a doctorate three years later. Since then, Wang has worked at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
The Challenger flew over China four times a day, twice at night and twice during the day. Wang Ganjun recalled that long before the mission began, he wrote down all the time and orbit of the flight over China in advance according to the NASA predetermined schedule. "I'd love to see where I was born. In the midst of the waiting, I had a melancholy heart of homesickness. The sky over China is always cloudy, so I can't see it very clearly, and I took a picture over the mouth of the Yangtze River, and even Hainan Island made me feel extremely excited. ”
Wang also did an interesting experiment in space: Once, when challenger flew into Chinese airspace from the southwest, he began running on the treadmill until the spacecraft flew out of the northeast (Chinese airspace). "I ran China 'from start to finish' in just 7 minutes!" Wang Ganjun laughed and said that he had finally realized his childhood dream of "riding the clouds and driving the fog" when he read martial arts novels.
Jiao Lizhong: Director of the International Space Station with the call sign "Shandong"
Jiao Lizhong also has many "firsts": the first Chinese astronaut to complete the spacewalk, the first astronaut to vote from space for the presidential election, and the first and only Chinese astronaut to have served as the director of the International Space Station.
When he was 8 years old, Jiao Lizhong saw Armstrong and Aldrin on TV stepping on the moon in the Apollo spacecraft, and that scene lit up his space dream. "Since then, the dream of being an astronaut has taken root in my heart, although it is not a day and night thought, but I have never forgotten what I want to do, I later studied chemical engineering, into the enterprise, all the efforts made are to achieve this dream."
The picture shows Jiao Lizhong. Photo courtesy of the interviewee Source: China News Network
In 1989, Jiao Lizhong, who was almost 30 years old, finally submitted an application to NASA, and after strict interview screening, Jiao Lizhong began his astronaut career as he wished.
"July 8, 1994 was one of the most important days of my life." Jiao Lizhong still remembers it vividly. On that day, the 34-year-old put on a white spacesuit and flew into space aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. "I held a mirror and reflected the scene of the back window, a flame that seemed to propel us forward, and in an instant, the land was getting farther and farther away from us, getting darker and darker, and then it disappeared."
On that occasion, he spent 353 hours and 55 minutes in space, circling the Earth 236 times. Since then, he has flown into space three times, in 1996, 2000 and 2004. He said the spacewalk was a very exciting experience, floating in the air and looking at the Earth as if in a dream.
Pictured here is the Aurora borealis taken by Thomas Pesquet, astronaut of the European Space Agency's (ESA) Expedition 65, from inside the International Space Station. Source: China News Network
In October 2004, Jiao Lizhong traveled to space for the fourth time, boarding the Russian "Soyuz" spacecraft and stationed on the International Space Station he participated in building, becoming the first Chinese space station director ever. During his tenure as stationmaster, he used "Shandong" as his calling code. "Thinking that Shandong is the place where my parents were born and grew up, I used this code name."
Lu Jie: A new spacewalk record
On September 11, 2000, the longest distance for humans to walk in space was broken by Chinese astronaut Lu Jie and Russian astronaut Malinshenko, who spent 6 hours and 14 minutes climbing 30.58 meters outside the International Space Station, setting a new walking record in the history of human space.
Lu Jie joked that they walked into the vast universe like mules. Dressed in space suits equipped with small mini thrusters and carrying bundles of cables, booms and tools "floating out" of the shuttle, they need to cross countless antennas and various docking devices, and cannot be touched, in order to successfully complete the task.
Lu Jie was born in 1963 to a Chinese family in Springfield, Massachusetts. In December 1994, he was selected by NASA to begin his career as an astronaut.
On April 26, 2003, Lu Jie took off as a member of the 7th long-term expedition to the International Space Station aboard the Russian Soyuz spacecraft. After more than 6 months, China's Shenzhou 5 went to the sky. "Welcome to space!" Lu Jie, who is staying on the International Space Station, greeted Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei with his Chinese.
On a video footage broadcast on NASA's television channel, Lu Jie held a microphone and congratulated China on its first manned space flight. "We would like to begin by congratulating," he said, "and this is an amazing thing, a great achievement." ”
(Source: China Overseas Chinese Network WeChat public account; ID: qiaowangzhongguo; Source: Xinhua Net, China News Network, People's Net, People's Daily Overseas Edition, Sanlian Life Weekly, International Herald Herald, etc.; Author: Jin Xu)