Chinese astronaut Li Qinglong.
Li Qinglong, born in 1963 in Dingyuan, Anhui Province, graduated from the Xi'an Air Force Missile Academy, one of China's first two astronauts, and the coach of space hero Yang Liwei.
Speaking of his beloved disciple Yang Liwei, Li Qinglong loved him. In Yang Liwei's eyes, Coach Li was both stern and kind.
He clearly remembered that in the days when Jiuquan was waiting for the flying sky, Li Qinglong told him to be slow when entering and exiting the hatch, and not to crack his helmet. When Yang Liwei returned to the Space City, as soon as he saw Li Qinglong, he hugged him tightly, and the two men with iron wills were left with tears of excitement.
"Thank you!" Yang Li said in a loud voice.
"Thank you!" Li Qinglong choked.
"We came here from the Air Force and gave up our favorite flying career in order to pursue heaven, but in the end there can only be one person in the sky." On behalf of all of us, Yang Liwei has realized this wish, such a perfect flight, so safe to come back, can you not be excited? Li Qinglong said.
In September 1980, at the age of 18, he worked hard to get into college.
The college entrance examination was a turning point in Li Qinglong's life. In 1980, when the college entrance examination chose to apply for a military school, Li Qinglong chose the ground-to-air missile automatic control major, "On the one hand, young people, inspirational to become soldiers; on the other hand, at that time, all kinds of 'high technology' were still far from the lives of ordinary people, so he applied for this 'fashionable' major." ”
In 1984, as soon as he graduated, he was recruited as one of the first undergraduate pilots in the Air Force. In October 1995, after many strict selections, Li Qinglong and Wu Jie from Henan became the first two astronauts in China, and were sent to the Gagarin Astronaut Training Center in Russia for training, focusing on "spacewalking", and obtained the "International Astronaut" certificate with excellent results, creating a Chinese-style miracle in the Gagarin Astronautical Center in Russia.
On January 5, 1998, Li Qinglong, who called himself the "Returnee Faction," together with Yang Liwei and 13 others, officially became a glorious member of the astronaut brigade of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.
In 2003, Shenzhou 5, as China's first manned spacecraft, successfully completed its mission.
In 2005, the Shenzhou VI manned spacecraft also traveled to space and carried out the mission of "many people for many days", which became a miracle in China's aerospace history.
A Russian coach once said that astronauts have undergone a lot of training, and the last chance is always a minority, which in itself is one of the lives of astronauts.
Li Qinglong said: "I am a soldier, the state let me go up, no matter how dangerous I am, I must ensure that I complete the task; if the state does not let me go, I will also Li Qinglong's family conscientiously perform their duties!" ”
After the victorious return of the "Shenzhou" No. 5, Li Qinglong was extremely excited. His pride and the pride that did not require flowers and applause proved that he was also a part of this great astonishing success, contributed his strength, and successfully completed the task.
How many difficulties do you have to go through to become an astronaut?
The first level is the difficulty of the hell level.
Male candidates are from active Air Force fighter pilots, while female candidates are from active transport aircraft pilots.
China's first batch of 14 astronauts were all fighter pilots of the Air Force, and the second batch was 7, two of whom were women.
Air Force pilots are already an unchallengable ceiling for most people, not to mention that all male pilots are fighter pilots!
It's not enough to describe one.
The second level: preparatory astronaut selection.
After becoming a fighter pilot, the next step is to examine the comprehensive quality. It involves four aspects: basic conditions, medicine, psychological selection and comprehensive evaluation. The basic conditions, including age, height, educational background, professional background and other 43 aspects of the requirements.
There are more than 120 articles in the "Clinical Medicine Selection Criteria" alone, and each clause corresponds to the requirements of many medical issues.
Thousands of standards, one that does not meet, will be ruthlessly eliminated.
This is an extremely strict set of standards, and after it is passed, it can be called a "reserve astronaut". But that's not all.
Level 3: Flight Crew Selection.
After the first two levels, congratulations on becoming a reserve astronaut.
Preparatory astronauts need to go through at least 2 years of continuous training and assessment, such as centrifuge training, swivel chair training, the height rotation of the mechanical arm, only a few minutes is like running 10,000 meters, ordinary people simply can not withstand. Only after passing can you truly become an astronaut. The selection of flight crews is to select the best flight crew for a mission from among qualified astronauts. For example, "God Five" we chose Yang Liwei, "God Six" chose Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng, and "God Seven" chose Zhai Zhigang, Liu Boming and Jing Haipeng.
Since the launch of the manned space project in 1992, from Shenzhou No. 1 to Shenzhou No. 13; from Yang Liwei's first visit to space in 2003 to 2021, when Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping, and Ye Guangfu successfully lifted off, only a dozen astronauts in China have flown into space. It is not an exaggeration to pick one out of a million.
The fourth level: as long as you do not retire, the training does not end.
Speaking of which, I have to mention some names.
Deng Qingming, Li Qinglong, Wu Jie, Chen Quan, Zhao Chuandong, Pan Zhanchun...
They deserve to be remembered.
Li Qinglong: Hero coach, no chance of space!
The choice of astronauts is the best of the best, because the physical and psychological comprehensive quality is slightly different from other astronauts, and finally Li Qinglong failed to successfully land in space. When the reporter interviewed him, he said: "Although I was not able to fly, as a witness to China's manned spaceflight, I even participated in the creation of a period of history, and I feel the supreme glory." This sentence is extremely heroic, but you can also hear some helplessness and regret from it.
In 2014, Li Qinglong stopped training because his age reached the limit of astronauts, and quit the astronaut brigade and became the deputy director of the China Astronaut Center, mainly responsible for the development and management of extravehicular spacesuits and environmental control systems, and is still shining for China's aerospace industry.
Li Qinglong retired in 2014.
Despite his retirement, Li Qinglong's vigorous style has continued and has been vividly reflected in interviews with the media.
The hearty laughter and funny conversation reveal the spirit of the old astronaut everywhere.
Li Qinglong's appearance is simple and gentle, his demeanor is steady but not old-fashioned, he is good at talking and measured, confident, introverted and not ostentatious, his words are full of perseverance and unquestionable courage, and when it comes to happiness, he often smiles between his eyebrows, which makes people feel close.
After leaving the astronaut brigade in 2014, Li Qinglong became the deputy director of the China Astronaut Center, mainly responsible for the development of extravehicular spacesuits and environmental control and protection systems. At present, Li Qinglong is still making contributions in the field of aerospace, hoping to continue to promote the development of the motherland's manned space industry through his own efforts, "Now life is very full, I can do what I love and am interested in, and I am very happy." ”
Although he retired from the army, he never left the aerospace industry of the motherland for a moment: "Now life is very full, I can do what I love and am interested in, and I am very happy." ”
In 2024, China's "Tiangong" space station will be completed, with the establishment of "Tiangong", with the launch of more Shenzhou, more and more astronauts will fly to space to realize their dreams.
The sea of stars is within reach, and our journey has just begun!
Bless every astronaut who pursues his dreams and bless our motherland!
Li Qinglong, he is the coach of the Flying Hero and the son-in-law of Hefei.
Just 18 years ago, on October 19, the Hefei Evening News had a telephone interview with Li Qinglong, who was then a space hero coach and astronaut, with the title of "Hefei's father-in-law and mother-in-law saw her son-in-law on TV for the first time in three years- he was a flying hero teacher".
He is the flying hero coach and the son-in-law of Hefei.
Our goal is a sea of stars!
Since 2003, we have conducted a total of 6 manned flights and sent 11 astronauts into the sky. However, from 1998 to the present, our country has trained two batches of 17 astronauts. That is to say, there are still 6 astronauts who have been behind the scenes, as a backup of their comrades-in-arms, and have not yet been to space. Like the astronauts in the sky, they have been selected layer by layer and trained for a long time, but because of their slightly backward results, they have become a backup for the astronauts in the sky. While we salute the astronauts to the heavens, we must also remember them, who are also heroes who have given their lives for the country!
There are 6 astronauts who have not been in the sky, namely Deng Qingming, Li Qinglong, Wu Jie, Chen Quan, Zhao Chuandong and Pan Zhanchun. Among them, only Deng Qingming is still an astronaut, and the other five have stopped training, retired, or transferred to local areas and devoted themselves to social construction.
Today, five of them have taken off their spacesuits and pursued other professions, making it impossible for them to go into space in their lifetime. I believe there will be regrets, for the dream of spaceflight worked hard for 20 years, insisted on 20 years, waited for 20 years, again and again incomparably close to the realization of the dream, and missed again and again.
I believe that their hearts must be regretful, but at the same time they are proud. Proud to be an astronaut, have dedicated his youth to the country, and have worked hard for his dreams!