On June 4, according to the China Manned Aerospace Engineering Office, following the research and decision of the General Headquarters of the Space Station Phase Flight Mission, the three astronauts Chen Dong, Liu Yang, and Cai Xuzhe will carry out the Shenzhou 14 manned flight mission. Member Chen Dong served as the commander.
As soon as the news came out, many people in Henan were proud. Liu Yang and Chen Dong are no strangers to the two astronauts, because this is their second flight mission to China’s manned spaceflight.
Luoyang astronaut Chen Dong, who entered space for the second time, became the commander of the “youngest crew”
On October 17, 2016, 38-year-old Chen Dong and Jing Haipeng, who was entering space for the third time at the time, successfully launched their Shenzhou-11 spacecraft together and started their first space journey.
6 years later, Chen Dong will be the commander of Shenzhou 14 and will take off once more. It is understood that the three astronauts on this expedition are all “post-75s” and are the youngest crew with an average age since China’s manned mission. 44-year-old Chen Dong has also become the commander of this “youngest crew” .
The expedition with Chen Dong this time includes Cai Xuzhe, who is 46 years old for the first time, and Liu Yang, a fellow from Henan, who is the same age as Chen Dong. On June 16, 2012, Shenzhou 9 was successfully launched into space, and 34-year-old Liu Yang was sent into space and began her first manned mission. At the same time, she became China’s first female astronaut. Liu Yang, who successfully completed the task, also made the Chinese people deeply remember her name.
Yao Zhiqiang, the head teacher of Chen Dong’s middle school days, told the Elephant News reporter that he was very excited to learn that Chen Dong went on another expedition this time, “Chen Dong is the commander this time, and the burden on his shoulders is heavy. I believe he will be able to complete it successfully. Mission, smooth triumph.”
On October 15, 2003, Chen Dong saw the majestic scene of Yang Liwei, China’s first astronaut who entered space, and said with enthusiasm: “This is the hero who stands on the ground!” In 2010, Chen Dong became the second batch of astronauts in my country , followed in the footsteps of heroes and joined the astronaut team.
“What I can do, I will do my best!” For the hero’s spaceflight dream, Chen Dong has been going all out, always ready to fly to higher and farther space.
“Kid of the King” Chen Dong’s experience as a monitor made him understand the word “responsibility”
Chen Dong, who grew up in a factory, has always been the “King of Children” among his friends. At that time, the naughty Chen Dong did not expect that one day he would become an astronaut with a “quiet, steady personality and strong sense of responsibility”.
When Chen Dong was in the third grade of elementary school, he led a group of friends to play and get into trouble. But what surprised him was that the head teacher at that time did not criticize him, but said to him gently, “The teacher knows that you are unintentional, but you must think more regarding what you do in the future.” After that incident , also let 9-year-old Chen Dong have an idea: “I must perform well to make the teacher happy.” The tolerance and responsibility of the head teacher also continue to give Chen Dong the strength to grow.
In 1991, 13-year-old Chen Dong entered the first year of junior high school and studied at Copper Processing Factory Middle School (now Luoyang No. 22 Middle School). The head teacher Yao Zhiqiang asked everyone to vote for the monitor. Chen Dong, who was very popular among his friends, was elected monitor by high votes. And do it for 6 years.
“Chen Dong’s grades were excellent at that time, he was low-key, strong in execution, he also liked sports, and his physical fitness was very good.” Yao Zhiqiang said that as the monitor, Chen Dong would not only urge the students to complete their studies, but also take the initiative to organize the class. Sports activities, “He is very thoughtful, and he has never lost his temper. Basically, he is so mature and stable among his peers.”
From “flying dream” to “space dream”, follow the footsteps of idols
In the second year of high school, one of Chen Dong’s seniors passed the admission test and got the admission letter, which touched Chen Dong very much. At that time, Chen Dong went to the library to read books regarding satellites and space. In the second year (1997), Chen Dong also followed in the footsteps of the senior, took the admission test, and was admitted to Changchun Flight Academy with excellent results.
The Changchun Flight Academy of the Air Force is very strict in the selection of pilots. Chen Dong studied and trained very hard in college. “Out of 100 people, regarding 30 people can get on the plane, and the elimination rate is 70%.” Chen Dong said.
After two years of study and training, Chen Dong completed all the basic subjects and finally ushered in his first flight. “At that time, I watched the cars and people on the ground getting smaller and smaller, and the large fields turned into small green grids. Wow, finally flying into the blue sky.” The first flight made Chen Dong very excited.
After graduating from the military academy, as a pilot, captain of the squadron, captain of the corps… Chen Dong’s life is just like the promotional video he watched when he was recruiting for the test.
Until October 15, 2003, Yang Liwei, the first Chinese astronaut to enter space, set off for space, and 25-year-old Chen Dong also had the idea of ”flying higher” in his mind.
In 2009, the selection of the second batch of astronauts began. After Chen Dong returned from the exercise in the northwest with the brigade, he received an order to participate in the medical examination. Chen Dong, who successfully entered the interview, also met Yang Liwei, the aerospace hero he admired. “After talking for more than an hour, I became more determined to be an astronaut.” Chen Dong was very impressed by the interview.
On October 17, 2016, Chen Dong served as the flight crew of the Shenzhou 11 manned spacecraft. Together with Jing Haipeng, he flew the Shenzhou 11 spacecraft into space, becoming the first person in the second batch of male astronauts to realize the dream of flying. Jing Haipeng, who has been flying twice before, is also Chen Dong’s idol. “Is there anything luckier and happier than being brought into this team by my idol, and then going to space with my idol?” Chen Dong said.
Two Henan fellows are performing flying missions together, can they communicate in Henan dialect?
For the two astronauts, Chen Dong and Liu Yang, this is the second time to perform a Chinese manned space flight mission, but this is the first time the two fellows have jointly performed a space mission. Many netizens also raised an interesting question: “Do they, who are fellow Henan fellows, communicate in Henan dialect when meeting?”
In response to this question, Chen Dong also responded: “Because the astronauts come from all over the motherland, everyone usually communicates in Mandarin. In addition, everyone has been away from their hometown for a long time, and they usually communicate in Mandarin in their work and living environment.”
“If there is a third person speaking Henan dialect, I feel that our desire to speak the native dialect will be hooked out, and we should immediately enter the state. At that time, it may get out of hand and talk regarding Henan incessantly. Words.” Chen Dong smiled and said in Henan: “That feeling is very exciting!”
Chen Dong also said that from the moment he became an astronaut, he represented a team and the whole country, and he also had his own responsibilities and missions. Speaking of this, Chen Dong mightn’t help but be moved: “Others see us in the spacecraft, we operate freely and look easy. In fact, there is a lot of effort behind it.” He said that although the life of an astronaut is very boring and monotonous However, it is the sacrifice of the ego to achieve the spirit of everyone, and no one will complain, because this is the responsibility.
Lin Xiqiang, spokesman for China’s manned space engineering and deputy director of the China Manned Space Engineering Office, introduced at the press conference on the Shenzhou 14 manned mission held on June 4 that during the stay in orbit, the Shenzhou 14 The crew of three astronauts will welcome the visit and docking of the two experimental modules of the space station, the Tianzhou-5 cargo spacecraft, and the Shenzhou-15 manned spacecraft, and will perform on-orbit rotation with the Shenzhou-15 flight crew. Return to Dongfeng Landing Site.
At present, the Tianhe core module and the combination of Tianzhou-3 and Tianzhou-4 are working normally, and they have the conditions for rendezvous and docking and astronaut stationing. (Xie Shiwei)
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责编：张璋 ]