Reaching for the sky
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Watching China's first manned space flight on TV nine years ago, astronaut Liu Yang wondered what the Earth look like from outer space. Now she's finding out for herself
Minutes after the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft blasted off toward the sky on June 16, 33-year-old Liu Yang became the first Chinese woman to enter space.
Smiling and occasionally waving from the crew cabin, the former air force pilot showed her confidence in a live televised launch that unleashed a huge national feeling of pride.
“I am filled with joy and excitement. I am concerned about her but I have full confidence that she will fulfil the mission and return safely,” said Liu’s mother Niu Xiyun, watching the launch on television.
Liu is in charge of medical experiments during the 13-day mission, which saw China’s first attempt at a manual space docking procedure with the Tiangong-1 space lab module successfully achieved on Tuesday.
“I am grateful to the motherland and the people. I feel honoured to fly into space on behalf of hundreds of millions of Chinese females,” Liu told the press the day before blast-off.
Born into a worker’s family in Zhengzhou, the capital city of Central China’s Henan province, neighbours and relatives say Liu was a modest and obedient child not spoiled by her parents.
“When she was studying in high school, the factories where her parents worked had a bad performance, forcing her father to make money by repairing bicycles on the street,” recalls Wang Huizhen, one of their neighbours in the community where they lived for 14 years.
Liu started looking towards the sky when a flight company came to her school to recruit pilots but was disappointed when she found out the option was only open to boys. Later, when a military aviation school opened to girls, one of her teachers convinced her to apply.
Her teachers remember her as a diligent and unpretentious girl. “She kept a low profile, but always saw to it that things were done,” said Li Fengyun, who taught her Chinese.
“She was a strong girl and could endure hardship. We never saw her being fastidious,” added her classmate Shi Ping.
Joining the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force in 1997, Liu became a veteran pilot after flying safely for 1,680 hours. She was promoted to deputy head of a PLA flight unit before being recruited as a prospective astronaut in May 2010. She is now an Air Force major.
After two years of training, which shored up her astronautic skills and adaptability to the space environment, Liu excelled in testing and was selected in March this year to crew Shenzhou-9.
“When I was a pilot, I flew in the sky. Now that I am an astronaut, I will fly in space. This will be a much higher and further flight,” Liu said.
Liu has been described by her colleagues as being outgoing, eloquent and well versed.
Since joining the military service, she has received accolades for her public speaking, winning the first place in a military speech contest in 2010.
She also impressed others as a quick learner. After becoming an astronaut candidate in 2010, she devoted the first year to basic academic and physical training, only starting to study aerospace and astronautics one year ago. Before the start of the Shenzhou-9 mission, she finished all the scheduled training courses.
“Despite a late start for training as an astronaut, she is now on the same page with us, which exceeds our expectations,” said Jing Haipeng, commanding officer of the Shenzhou-9 mission, said.
Jing was also impressed by swiftness and decisiveness Liu displayed during training sessions, citing her calm manner in responding to simulated emergencies.
That may be because Liu has first hand experience of dealing with emergencies. In September 2003, her plane encountered a group of birds shortly after takeoff. The turbine blades of the right engine were destroyed and the windshield splattered with blood after it hit 18 pigeons. Liu finally managed to stabilise the plane and made a successful emergency landing several minutes later.
In her spare time, she enjoys running and is passionate about reading, devouring novels, essays and history books. She is also a proficient cook.
“I love children and love life,” said Liu, who lives in Beijing with her husband. “To be with my family is one kind of happiness, to fly is another that people cannot usually experience.”
