Long wait for the moment

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-09-26 00:16

Less than a day before the launch of the Shenzhou VII spaceship, astronaut Liu Boming said he couldn't wait to experience a "real" loss of gravity.

"I will share it with you when I come back," said the 42-year-old, brimming with a smile.

Wearing blue uniforms, Liu, Zhai Zhigang and Jing Haipeng exuded confidence and poise ahead of a challenging but historic mission.

Exactly 10 years ago, the three were among a 14-member team selected for the country's manned space program.

China has achieved a great deal in the past decade thanks to their and thousands of support staff's unfailing spirit of dedication to the country's space program.

In October, 2003, China became the third country to send a man into space, after the former Soviet Union and the United States. Yang Liwei was the first-ever astronaut of China to greet the nation from outer space.

In 2005, the country sent two more astronauts, Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng, on a five-day journey on the Shenzhou VI spacecraft. Now three astronauts aboard Shenzhou VII have joined the elite ranks of space and national heroes.

A decade of training rigors

One of the most published stories about Yang Liwei is his arrival three days ahead of schedule for a medical checkup required in the astronaut selection process.

"You just can't wait to be shot up into space, can you?" a nurse asked rhetorically.

That was the summer of 1996, when China began picking astronauts from its ranks of fighter pilots. Thousands applied, and evaluations were based upon stringent qualification criteria like flight hours, academic degrees and physical condition. Hundreds were selected for interviews. By the end of 1997, just 14 had survived extensive testing.

On January 5, 1998, the 14 men replaced their fighter pilot armband with a golden spaceflight armband.

All remember their feelings of excitement, fearlessness and strong anticipation the day they assembled.

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