Dream comes true for rookie astronaut
AMONG the three crew members aboard the Shenzhou-12 spaceship, Tang Hongbo is a space rookie.
After preparing for over a decade, Tang’s space dream is finally coming true.
“I am very proud to be selected into the Shenzhou-12 spaceship crew,” Tang said yesterday.
“This is my first spaceflight mission, and pressure is inevitable,” the 45-year-old astronaut said.
“But after 11 years of learning, training and testing, I am full of confidence in myself and our team.”
Born in 1975, Tang joined the People’s Liberation Army in 1995 and clocked 1,159 hours of safe flight. He became a member of the second batch of Chinese
astronauts in 2010.
When asked about his expectation for this mission, he answered with a smile.
“I believe we crew members will work together to build the space station as our home in space. I also hope to meet with astronauts from other countries in the space station in the future.”
It has been 11 years since Tang was selected into the second batch of Chinese astronauts.
The second batch includes seven Chinese astronauts. Among them, Liu Yang, Wang Yaping and Chen Dong participated in space missions in Shenzhou-9, Shenzhou-10 and Shenzhou-11, respectively.
"When Liu, Wang and Chen flew into space, I asked myself when could I realize my space dream and use what I have learned?"
Tang told himself to “start from scratch,” and keep training with devotion and diligence like a fresh trainee for his space dream.