Yang Liwei facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Yang Liwei
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Yang in September 2011
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| Born | 21 June 1965 Suizhong, Huludao, Liaoning, China
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| Status | Retired |
| Alma mater | Air Force Aviation University (BEng) Tsinghua University (PhD) |
| Space career | |
| PLAAC astronaut | |
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Current occupation
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Vice Chief Designer, China Manned Space Engineering |
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Previous occupation
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 PLAAF fighter pilot |
| Rank | Major general |
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Time in space
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21 hours, 22 minutes, 45 seconds |
| Selection | Chinese Group 1 |
| Missions | Shenzhou 5 |
Yang Liwei (simplified Chinese: 杨利伟; traditional Chinese: 楊利偉; born June 21, 1965) is a famous Chinese astronaut, also known as a taikonaut. He was once a military pilot and is now a major general in the People's Liberation Army.
In October 2003, Yang Liwei made history. He became the first person sent into space by the Chinese space program. This amazing mission was called Shenzhou 5. It made China the third country to send humans into space all by itself. Today, he helps design future space missions for China.
Contents
Early Life and Training
Yang Liwei was born in Suizhong County, which is in Liaoning province, China. His mother was a teacher, and his father worked as an accountant. Yang Liwei is married to Zhang Yumei, and they have a son. Zhang Yumei also worked for the People's Liberation Army. She was a teacher in China's space program.
In 1983, Yang joined the People's Liberation Army (PLA). He went to the Air Force Second Flight Academy. He graduated in 1987 with a bachelor's degree. Before becoming an astronaut, he was a fighter pilot. He flew for 1,350 hours!
In 1996, he started the process to become an astronaut. Later, in 2004, he went to Tsinghua University in Beijing. He earned a PhD in Management in 2009.
Space Journey
Yang Liwei was chosen as an astronaut candidate in 1998. He trained for space flight for many years. He was one of 14 people chosen for China's first crewed space mission. At the time of his flight, he was a Lieutenant Colonel. He was promoted to full Colonel shortly after his mission.
The launch of his spacecraft, Shenzhou 5, was a very important event. It happened on October 15, 2003. The launch was not shown live on TV. This was to prevent any negative news if something went wrong.
Launch into Space
Yang Liwei blasted off into space on the Shenzhou 5 spacecraft. It was launched by a Long March 2F rocket. The launch happened from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert. This was at 9:00 AM Chinese time on October 15, 2003.
Before this, not much was known about the Chinese astronaut candidates. Yang's selection was only announced one day before the launch. Two other astronauts, Nie Haisheng and Zhai Zhigang, were also ready as backup crews.
Two minutes after launch, Yang Liwei felt strong vibrations. He said it was "very uncomfortable." Engineers later found out the vibrations came from the rocket. Because of this, changes were made to the next CZ-2F rocket. This helped make future flights smoother.
Life in Orbit
During his journey, Yang Liwei gave regular updates. He often said, "I feel good." He even spoke to his wife from space. He told her, "I feel very good, don't worry."
He ate special space food, like shredded pork with garlic and Kung Pao chicken. He also had Chinese herbal tea. Yang slept twice during his flight, for three hours each time. State television showed him waving small flags. He waved the flag of China and the flag of the United Nations.
Yang's capsule had a gun, a knife, and a tent. These were in case he landed in an unexpected place.
Landing Back on Earth
Yang's spacecraft landed in the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, China. This was around 6:30 AM on October 16, 2003. He had completed 14 orbits around Earth. He traveled more than 600,000 kilometers. Yang was in space for a total of 21 hours.
He left the capsule about 15 minutes after landing. Premier Wen Jiabao congratulated him. There were rumors of a hard landing. This was because official pictures showed Yang with bleeding lips. People who were at the landing site confirmed it.
Other Space Travelers
Yang Liwei was the first Chinese citizen in space. But he was not the first person of Chinese origin in space. Taylor Wang, who was born in Shanghai, flew on a Space Shuttle mission in 1985. However, Wang became a United States citizen in 1975.
Another person born in China to go to orbit was William Anders. He was born in Hong Kong in 1933. Anders was part of the Apollo 8 mission in 1968. That mission orbited the Moon.
After the Mission
After his space journey, Yang Liwei visited Hong Kong and Macau. He shared his experiences with many people.
On November 7, 2003, Yang received the title of "Space Hero." This was given by Jiang Zemin. He also received a special badge of honor. Russia also gave him the Gagarin medal. The Chinese University of Hong Kong gave Yang an honorary doctorate degree.
Two things are named after him: the asteroid 21064 Yangliwei and a fossil bird called Dalingheornis liweii.
After Shenzhou 5
After his successful flight, it was decided that Yang would not go on future space missions. This was similar to how the Soviet Union treated their space hero, Yuri Gagarin.
Yang was promoted to Major General on July 22, 2008. He was also given an important role. He became the vice-commander-in-chief of the astronaut system for China's crewed spaceflight project.
In October 2017, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) gave Yang a special award. It was the UNESCO Medal on Space Science.
Today, Yang Liwei is the director of the China Manned Space Engineering Office.
Images for kids
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Yang in September 2011
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Yang's Space Meritorious Medal
See also
- Wan Hu
- List of Chinese astronauts
- Chinese space programme
