Zhai Zhigang facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Zhai Zhigang
Zhai in 2008
Born	(1966-10-11) 11 October 1966 (age 58) Longjiang County, Heilongjiang, China
Status	Active
Alma mater	PLA Air Force Aviation University
Space career
PLAAC Taikonaut
Previous occupation	Fighter pilot, PLAAF
Rank	Major General, PLASSF
Time in space	185 days, 5 hours and 59 minutes
Selection	Chinese Group 1
Total EVAs	3
Total EVA time	12 hours 58 minutes
Missions	Shenzhou 7, Shenzhou 13
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese	翟志刚
Traditional Chinese	翟志剛
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Zhái Zhìgāng

Zhai Zhigang (born October 11, 1966) is a Chinese taikonaut. A taikonaut is an astronaut from China. He is also a major general in the Chinese military. Zhai Zhigang made history during the Shenzhou 7 mission in 2008. He became the first Chinese person to perform a spacewalk. Before becoming an astronaut, he was a fighter pilot in the Chinese Air Force.

Early Life and School

Zhai Zhigang was born in a small village on October 11, 1966. He was the youngest of six children in his family. He went to Longjiang County No. 2 High School. Later, he joined the PLA Air Force Aviation University. There, he trained to become a fighter pilot. He also learned how to lead a group of pilots.

Becoming a Pilot

After his training, Zhai Zhigang became a lieutenant colonel in the Chinese Air Force. He also worked as a pilot trainer. He flew for over 1,000 hours during his time as a pilot.

Journey to Space

In 1996, Zhai Zhigang was chosen as a possible candidate for China's astronaut program. In 1998, he was selected to be part of the first group of 14 Chinese astronauts. He was one of the top three astronauts to train for the Shenzhou 5 flight. While Yang Liwei was chosen for that mission, Zhai Zhigang was ranked second. He also trained for the Shenzhou 6 mission.

Historic Spacewalk: Shenzhou 7

On September 17, 2008, Zhai Zhigang was chosen as the commander for the Shenzhou 7 mission. His crewmates were Liu Boming and Jing Haipeng. They launched into space on September 25, 2008. This was China's third human spaceflight. It was also the first time China sent three people into space.

Two days later, on September 27, 2008, Zhai Zhigang made history. He became the first Chinese astronaut to perform a spacewalk. He went completely outside the spacecraft. His crewmate, Liu Boming, stayed near the exit. Zhai successfully finished his spacewalk. He wore a special Chinese-made spacesuit called the Feitian space suit. Liu Boming wore a Russian-made Orlan-M spacesuit.

Back to Space: Shenzhou 13

Zhai Zhigang returned to space as commander for the Shenzhou 13 mission. This was his second spaceflight. His crewmates were Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu. Their mission was to go to the Tiangong space station.

On November 7, 2021, Zhai Zhigang performed his second spacewalk. He did this with Wang Yaping. Wang Yaping became the first Chinese woman to do a spacewalk. On December 26, 2021, Zhai Zhigang performed his third spacewalk with Ye Guangfu.

Life Outside Space

When Zhai Zhigang is not training or flying in space, he enjoys several hobbies. He likes calligraphy, which is a beautiful way of writing. He also enjoys dancing and playing with gadgets. Zhai Zhigang is married to Zhang Shujing, and they have one son.

See Also

In Spanish: Zhai Zhigang para niños

• List of Chinese astronauts
• Chinese space programme