Deng Qingming
Person · China
Original archive entry. The text, images and links below are kept as they were written.
Chinese pilot taikonaut, 1998-on. PLAAF pilot. Selected in the first Chinese cosmonaut detachment.
More at: Deng Qingming.
Related
Chronology
1 event
1998 November 19
- China Astronaut Training Group 1 selected. - .
Nation: China.
Related Persons: Chen Quan,
Deng Qingming,
Fei Junlong,
Jing Haipeng,
Liu Buoming,
Liu Wang,
Nie Haisheng,
Pan Zhanchun,
Yang Liwei,
Zhai Zhigang,
Zhang Xiaoguang,
Zhao Chuandong.
Selection of astronauts to fly the Project 921 / Shenzhou manned spacecraft began at the end of 1995. Only PLAAF pilots were considered. Review of service records identified 1504 candidates, further reduced to 886 after stricter screening. In the summer of 1996, 60 candidates passed initial testing at their home bases and were sent to Beijing for final tests and interviews. By April 1997 the candidate list had been pared down to 20, and the final 12 were selected at the end of 1997. The group was officially established in January 1998. In March, 1998, the two Chinese astronauts trained in Russia in 1996, who were also the trainers of this first group of 12 cosmonauts, joined the group officially as candidates for future spaceflights, bringing the total to 14.