In ancient Chinese legends, the story of Chang'e running to the moon is familiar, and now, the romance of this ancient person is gradually becoming a reality, whenever people talk about flying to the sky, a name always comes to mind - Yang Liwei. Dating back to 2003, China planned the feat of Shenzhou 5's first manned entry into outer space. This mission of great significance requires an astronaut who is both technically competent and psychologically stable. In the rigorous selection process, Yang Liwei stood out and successfully entered space on the Shenzhou 5 spacecraft. As China's first astronaut, he became a hero in the hearts of hundreds of millions of people. 
Time flies, 20 years in the blink of an eye. In the early morning of October 31 this year, Shenzhou 16 astronauts Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao successfully completed the space mission and were in good health. It is heartening that Yang Liwei personally greeted the space team and sent them his most sincere wishes. This scene can't help but evoke memories of his space journey. It's just that in the past 20 years, since Yang Liwei first embarked on a space journey, there has been no chance to usher in a new expedition. It is widely believed that such a long break was due to some damage to his body caused by the first flight. Exactly, what is the truth?Ordinary families flew out of the space dream;On June 21, 1965, Yang Liwei was born in Suizhong Town, Suizhong County, Liaoning Province, where his father Yang Deyuan and mother Wei Guilan taught in a middle school in the town. Different from everyone's impression, Yang Liwei was a weak and introverted child when he was a child, and he was once so frightened that he hid under the table because of firecrackers outside. However, the father did not want his son to be so timid, so he took him to hiking, swimming, and admiring the sea every weekend or holiday, so as to cultivate his interest in adventure and sports. Among these outdoor activities, Yang Liwei likes to skate and swim the most, and his excellent balance ability has allowed him to find confidence, and he has gradually become both courageous and protective. As a child, an open-air movie "Railway Guerrillas" and passing trains inspired little Yang Liwei's dream of longing for a distant place, and at that time, he longed to grow up to be a train driver. 
However, as a teenager, when he visited the naval airfield for the first time as a student representative, his dream took a huge turn. He looked up at the pilot and the plane, saw the parachutes, and a wish surged in his heart: I hope that one day, he can soar in the blue sky like a free seagull. In June 1983, Yang Liwei, a third-year high school student, saw an opportunity that the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force was recruiting new recruits, and he did not hesitate to sign up. After strict selection, inspection, physical examination and interview, Yang Liwei, who was only 18 years old, successfully entered the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force Flight Academy. At the college, his academic performance has always been among the best, and the intensity of physical training is praised as the benchmark of the whole college. In 1987, Yang Liwei received a bachelor's degree from the People's Liberation Army Aviation University of Chinese. After graduating, he became a fighter pilot and was a leader in the training of the whole division. However, in 1992, the unit was streamlined and reorganized, and his air division was disbanded. At this time, professional pilots are extremely sought-after in the civil aviation market, and high salaries are readily available. Despite the opportunity, Yang Liwei firmly expressed to the organization that he was determined to continue his service. At the beginning of 1993, he was transferred to a regiment of the Sichuan Air Force, where the environment was known to be difficult in the whole army. Although they are all pilots, the requirements for fighter planes are completely new, and Yang Liwei is equivalent to re-undergoing training. After more than two years, he completed the basic course of fighter aircraft and mastered the most comprehensive skills. By 1996, he had safely flown a total of 1,350 hours and became an excellent "all-weather" fighter pilot. 
Yang's ambitions don't stop there. When he learned that China planned to select astronauts, the fire in his heart quickly rose. Isn't this exactly what he dreamed of all his life?Become an astronaut and fly into space. With firm conviction, he applied for the astronaut selection process, which was the most important choice of his career. In August 1995, with the formal establishment of the Manned Space Engineering Command, Yang Liwei performed well in various tests. Eventually, he became China's first generation of astronauts, along with 13 other outstanding pilots of the Air Force. Devil's training at the limits of the human body: from the germination of the aerospace dream to the real astronaut, this process is full of unimaginable twists and turns. First of all, in the face of the huge theoretical system of aerospace science, an introductory book "Fundamentals of Manned Space Engineering" has a thickness of 600 pages. This is not an easy task for veterans of more than a decade of flying experience, who have become accustomed to long hours of outdoor training and flying, and picking up these books again is a challenge for everyone. Since the first course, Yang Liwei has been for 4 years, without rest before 12 o'clock every night, immersed in the world of textbooks. The hard work paid off, and Yang Liwei ranked first among his comrades-in-arms in the same period with a score of 93 points. After overcoming the difficulties of the basic theory of aerospace, there is also physical training at the physiological limit and the test of the aerospace simulation environment. 
This is truly "devil's training". Yang recalled: "We had to leave the Earth's gravity and go into space, and we had to withstand the acceleration of the rocket that pushed us into orbit. During ground training, we used a centrifuge simulation to undergo acceleration training of 8 g. Every time you do this kind of training, your face will be deformed because of it, and tears will flow uncontrollably, and you simply can't control it. "In our daily lives, we have very little perception of this g-force. When the civil aircraft pulls upwards, we feel about 02-0.5g force pulls the feeling, and reaching 8g means that 8 of your own body weight is pressed on the body. There is a U.S. Air Force 10 years ago on Zhihu in 7Demonstration under 5G overload**, the professional pilot first had an extremely deformed face, hallucinated at 50 seconds, and had an instantaneous coma. This is just under a minute, and the astronauts have to perform a series of extreme maneuvers for a longer period of time with an overload of a full 8 g. Yang Liwei once mentioned: "When operating, we will hold an alarm in our hands. What's the use of that?If you really can't take it anymore, just press this alarm and the experiment will be terminated immediately. Surprisingly, since the establishment of the astronaut brigade in 1998, for more than 20 years, not a single astronaut in our country has pressed this alarm. What is even more commendable is that Yang Liwei, with super stable psychological control, can achieve a stable heartbeat of 70 beats per minute after overload training. There are many more such "devilish trainings": continuous rotation, negative pressure (using a specific device to create a negative pressure environment around **. It can be used to reduce head transfer of body fluids in weightless conditions, alleviate cardiovascular disorders, and exercise to improve orthostatic endurance), sleep deprivation, and high-load work ...... in small claustrophobic environmentsDuring the training, they need to learn survival skills in the wild, identify venomous snakes, learn about more than 80 species of plants, and find out which ones are edible. During a training cycle, many people are unable to eat properly for several days. It is this kind of "devilish training" that has shaped Yang Liwei, an aerospace hero. A thrilling journey into space. At 9 o'clock on October 5, 2003, the Shenzhou-5 manned spacecraft bravely lifted off and started a journey of exploration of life. Many people may not know that the international aviation situation was at a low point at that time, and seven astronauts died when the space shuttle Columbia returned homeSubsequently, when the Brazilian rocket launched the satellite, more than 20 people were killed due to the platform**. All preparations were made to the extreme for this flight, but accidents still happened. During the ascent phase of the spacecraft's launch, the rocket and the spacecraft resonate at low frequencies, which made Yang Liwei feel the fear of "dying": "It seems that the surroundings are filled with the sound of gongs and drums, and the vibration is unbearable." At that moment, I felt like I couldn't exert my strength, and I felt like I was about to leave. "The short 26 seconds seemed like a long life, his internal organs seemed to be shattered, and he was ready to meet death. Fortunately, after 26 seconds, the ship stabilized. 
Yang Liwei used extraordinary willpower to survive the turbulent 26 seconds and successfully passed the test of low-frequency resonance. After a quiet time after entering space, Yang Liwei suddenly heard a muffled sound, as if "knocking on the door". At first I thought it was an illusion, but soon after, the "knock on the door" sounded again, in all directions, day and night, irregularly, as if someone was knocking on the hull of the ship. Yang Liwei's heart was tense for this, and he was only slightly relieved when he returned home. But when the rocket broke away from the escape tower, the engine resonated with the rocket body, Yang Liwei's body was under tremendous pressure, and the headset was also displaced. Fortunately, the headset only cut the corner of Yang Liwei's mouth, and if it hit his neck, the consequences would be unimaginable. Living up to expectations, Shenzhou 5 returned victoriously. This marks that China has become the third country in the world to independently master manned space technology, which is a milestone for the development of China's aerospace industry, comprehensive national strength and the enhancement of its international status. Yang Liwei's perfect flight caused the whole country to boil, and he became a national hero in the eyes of the people of the whole country. On the same day, it was already evening when he rushed back to Beijing Aerospace City, and Yang Liwei called the instructors respectively to report his specific situation in space. An old instructor couldn't help but sigh: "It's rare, being able to maintain a normal mentality in front of great glory is exactly the quality that an excellent astronaut should have." "Yes, in the face of honor, Yang Liwei has never been proud of his achievements, he concentrates on training, as always, calmly. At the age of 58, he was always ready to fly: In November 2003, the motherland reported the highest award for heroes and awarded Yang Liwei the "Aerospace Meritorious Service Medal" and the "Aerospace Hero" certificate. In September 2014, the international award of the outstanding contribution of the cosmonaut Leonov Award. Whether it was that maiden voyage or his daily research work, his outstanding performance has impressed the world with China and China's aerospace heroes. Under his push, more than 180 improvements were made to Shenzhou-6, which solved the problem of "8Hz vibration", which poses a fatal danger to astronauts. In 2013, experts determined the reason: this is the abnormal noise caused by the slight deformation of the spacecraft itself. This rigorous exploration and verification, which lasted for 10 years, has greatly promoted the research and development and upgrading of aerospace materials in China. 
In the recent Shenzhou-17 launch candidate list, the 58-year-old Yang Liwei is still at the top with excellent comprehensive results. Subjected to 8 times the acceleration of gravity in a high-speed spinning centrifuge, he is still at ease in an electric swivel chair that rotates 360 degrees clockwise and counterclockwiseDressed in a bulky spacesuit, he expertly simulates various space maneuvers ...... in weightlessness underwaterIn fact, for 20 years, Yang Liwei's achievements have been among the best. In the selection of Shenzhou 6 astronauts, Yang Liwei's comprehensive results still ranked first. It's just that, considering the large interval between the national manned space launches and the low mission density, he chose to withdraw on his own initiative, leaving opportunities for the rest of the team. Not only that, from Shenzhou 12 to Shenzhou 15, he has entered the list of alternative astronauts with the top three results. Yang Liwei has the dream of stepping into space again, especially as a witness to the growth of China's first, second and third batch of astronauts, and he is eager to go to the space station, the dream place in the hearts of astronauts. Therefore, Yang Liwei still insists on training, always ready to accept the arrangement of the motherland and conquer the sea of stars again. 
The family affection behind the honor of Feitian: Behind the pursuit of a beautiful aerospace dream, there is endless bitterness. Among them, in addition to sticking to the responsibility to the motherland, it also contains a deep family kindness. In 1990, Zhang Yumei, who had already become a teacher, was caught by Yang Liwei's mother at a glance, and the two fell in love at first sight through a blind date, and tied the knot at the end of that year. 
Due to work needs, Yang Liwei traveled to many places, and Zhang Yumei resigned from her beloved job in order to accompany her husband. From the vast desert in the northwest to the mountains in the southwest, Zhang Yumei has faced all kinds of harsh environments, but she has never complained. In her opinion, as long as she is with her husband, all the hardships are worth it. In 91, the two ushered in a lovely daughter, who liked to stick to Yang Liwei's side and muttered to her father to pick stars for herself. For this dream of his daughter, Yang Liwei, who has little time to accompany him, deeply imprinted it in his heart. Unexpectedly, her daughter died when she was two years old. The couple suffered the heaviest blow of their lives, and the whole world seemed to lose its color at that moment. After wiping away his wife's tears, Yang Liwei resolutely returned to work, turned his sadness into strength, and fulfilled his training tasks with greater intensity. Three years later, the couple welcomed their second child: a lively boy. They longed for the healthy growth of the child and named him "Ningkang". In 1998, after Yang Liwei became the first batch of astronauts, Zhang Yumei was transferred to Beijing to engage in archival management. But because Yang Liwei is a closed training, although the two are in the space city, they can only be "weekend couples". 
When her son was 5 years old, Zhang Yumei suffered from severe kidney disease. In order to take care of the children and not distract her husband, she quietly concealed her illness and endured it silently for more than half a year. It wasn't until the symptoms of blood in the urine appeared that Zhang Yumei hurried to the hospital. However, the next day, Yang Liwei will go to Jilin for flight training, and this opportunity cannot be repeated. That night, he stayed at his wife's hospital bed all night. His wife saw his thoughts and comforted him lightly that he could go to training with peace of mind. For more than a year, the wife spent 10 days a month in the hospital. Each time, Yang Liwei would complete the medical procedures in advance, take his wife to the hospital, and then hurried back to the space city to continue his training. It is his wife's understanding and dedication that has made Yang Liwei more focused on the aerospace industry. When the hero triumphed, Yang Liwei was indifferent to all kinds of honors, and what excited him the most was the moment when he stepped off the plane and held his long-waiting wife in his arms and his son in his chest. When talking about the people he was most grateful to, Yang Liwei mentioned his wife Yang Yumei and said: "The honor of aerospace hero is the honor of two people. ”
Today, Yang Liwei plays the mainstay of China's manned space program and serves as the deputy chief designer. He also holds a Ph.D. in Management from Tsinghua University, an academician of the International Academy of Astronautics, and a representative of China on the International Space Station. In addition to the arduous training tasks, Yang Liwei planned, led, and organized the demonstration and technical preparation for the selection of China's second batch of astronauts.
At the same time, he has also made great contributions to the cultivation of Chinese astronauts. What is particularly surprising is that Yang Liwei's article "One Day in Space" was included in the second volume of the seventh grade language book of the People's Education Edition: "At this moment, I have forgotten how to control myself when training. I rushed to the porthole to look out and see the beautiful home that humans had lived on for more than 10,000 years. 'For the peace and progress of mankind, the Chinese have come to space!''I feel the great pride and pride of being Chinese. I can't help but think of a netizen's emotion: "When I was a child, I didn't understand it, but when I grew up, I really understood why Yang Liwei was a hero." "Dreams make heroes, and this hero is passing the torch of dreams from generation to generation.