University hails high-flying students involved in space program

Xi'an Jiaotong University in Shaanxi province has praised its current students and alumni for their involvement in China's manned space program.

The university, which is also known as Xi'an Jiaoda, counts among its students astronauts Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong, who launched into space aboard Shenzhou XI on Monday.

Jing, 50, is studying for his engineering doctorate while Chen, 37, is studying for his master's in engineering.

As a veteran of the Shenzhou VII and Shenzhou IX missions, Jing is the only Chinese astronaut to have been to space three times.

In September 2014, when he began studying for his doctorate, he visited the university to share his life experiences with the schoolteachers and students there.

Chen, meanwhile, was born in December 1978 and became a PLA Air Force pilot in August 1997. He was formerly battalion chief of a flight regiment, with 1,500 hours flight time under his belt.

Among his intake of astronauts, Chen was the first to achieve his dream of visiting space. He started studying for his master's degree last year.

Other Xi'an Jiaoda graduates who were involved with China's sixth manned space mission on Monday include Yang Yanbo, general dispatcher for the launch of Shenzhou XI, Liu Weibo, deputy chief of astronaut health monitoring, Situ Bin, designer of the mission's pressurization and transmission system, and Deng Yibing, director of the China Astronaut Research and Training Center.