At 11:00 on April 24, 2024, Beijing time, the three astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu met collectively with Chinese and foreign media reporters at the Wentian Pavilion of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center and answered questions from reporters. This is the first appearance of the Shenzhou 18 flight crew. The following is the transcript of this meeting.
01
First of all, congratulations to the Chief of Staff Ye Guangfu. In April 2022, you completed your first personal flight mission and returned to Earth as an astronaut on Shenzhou 13. In just two years, you will lead two newcomers to the sky as the commander of the Shenzhou 18 astronaut crew. Please tell me, what’s the difference between the two missions? What new challenges will we face?
Ye Guangfu: First of all, on behalf of the crew, I would like to thank friends from the media for their congratulations. When it comes to the feelings of the two missions, there are similarities and differences. The same thing is that we are lucky to have caught up with a great new era. We remain committed to the sacred mission and responsibility of the manned space industry. The difference is that the first flight was the excitement and excitement of realizing the dream of flying; but this time, as the commander, the pressure is greater and the responsibilities are heavier.
Manned space missions are new every time. For me, going to space again is a new beginning. In more than two years, in addition to completing various rehabilitation trainings as soon as possible, what is more important is to return to various trainings with a zeroed physical and mental state. The current state of the space station with three cabins and three ships is a completely new configuration for me, and its number of tasks, complexity, and operational difficulty have significantly increased. At the same time, as you said, as the commander, leading two new teammates to go into space, how to strengthen mission management, space-ground collaboration, team integration, etc., these are all new challenges for me.
Facing the challenge, my two teammates and I and the entire aerospace team are fully prepared and we are full of confidence in completing this mission. Thanks!
02
First of all, congratulations! 02Astronaut Li Cong. From joining the astronaut team to going into space, what training and preparations have you experienced in this process? Where do you think your confidence and confidence come from to successfully complete this mission?
Li Cong: Thank you for your congratulations! Thank you even more for your attention! From the sky to space, although there is only one word difference, each of our astronauts needs to go through continuous training day after day, year after year, and they need to always maintain two states of flying and preparing to fly. We are lucky to have caught up with a great new era. In 2020, our third batch of 18 astronauts were gloriously selected and officially embarked on a dream-chasing journey into space for the motherland.
The stronger your faith, the farther you go. In more than three years, we have received care and training from party organizations at all levels, which has filled us with the strength to forge ahead. We have also received all-round teachings from all the teachers. Whether it is evening or holiday, they can answer our doubts in time, accompany us for additional training, and provide all-round training from various aspects such as thinking, physical and mental quality, and professional skills. . After the crew was determined, under the leadership of the commander, on the one hand, we learned from other useful experiences from other crews; on the other hand, for this mission, we focused on extravehicular activities, emergency response, station management, equipment maintenance, and experimental operations. etc., and made comprehensive, systematic and in-depth preparations. We have the confidence and ability to successfully complete the task. Thanks!
03
First of all, congratulations! 03Astronaut Li Guangsu. It is your first time to realize your dream of space. What kind of work will you do in this mission?
Li Guangsu: Thank you for your question and your congratulations. Just now, our commander also mentioned that we will undertake a heavy and arduous task on this flight. During the mission, I am mainly responsible for space experiment projects, involving cutting-edge scientific issues such as aerospace medicine, basic physics, materials science, and life sciences, as well as station management, health security and other tasks.
Of course, although there is a division of labor in work, we do not divide the labor into families. We are united as one person, and all operations are backups for each other.As a member of the crew, under the leadership of the commander, we always support each other and check each other with the consensus that "more words are not distrust, less reminders are irresponsibility", and we must ensure that all operations are accurate and accurate. All experiments were carried out smoothly to ensure the safety, reliability and smooth operation of the space station. I believe! Our crew will surely complete the mission successfully and live up to the expectations and trust of the party and the people. Thanks!
01
Commander Ye Guangfu, you have participated in cave training with foreign astronauts in Italy, and also participated in sea life-saving training with domestic and foreign astronauts. How do you feel about international cooperation in the aerospace field? Now that you are on a mission again, is there anything you want to express to your international colleagues?
Ye Guangfu: Thank you. In recent years, I am very honored to have the opportunity to conduct many cooperative trainings with international colleagues. During the training, we communicated and learned from each other, and we also established a deep friendship with each other.
Speaking of this, it is a very coincidence that when I was carrying out the Shenzhou 13 mission, an international colleague who was training with me flew into space at almost the same time as me, realizing our respective first space dreams. At that time, we were still in space and exchanged greetings and blessings in the form of electronic letters through the ground team. Although one of us is on the Chinese Space Station and the other is on the International Space Station, we both share the dream of exploring the vast universe together and benefiting all mankind. I believe that the continuous development of China's aerospace industry will make greater contributions to building a community with a shared future for mankind.
The Chinese Space Station has been fully completed. We sincerely welcome international colleagues to explore the vast universe and work together to create a better future for mankind. The Chinese Space Station is always worth looking forward to! Thanks!
02
According to the resumes just released, the three members of your crew are all born in the 1980s, and they all have the same experience as pilots. Similar age and experience should give you a lot in common. May I ask 02 astronaut Li Cong, how do you feel?
Li Cong: Thank you for your question. As you said, we do have a lot in common. Not only do we have similar age and experience, but we also have a common mission, which is to run the Shenzhou Family Space "Relay Race" well. We are a community of mission, responsibility and honor.
Faced with the huge and complex system of the space station, the accuracy of all operations during flight is closely related to the tacit cooperation of the crew. After each training, the commander will lead us to review and discuss, and will also educate and guide us in terms of thoughts, styles, collaboration, etc. Now, we can understand the meaning of the other party's actions or even a look.
The starry sky is vast and there is no end to exploration. I believe that under the leadership of the commander, with the close unity of our crew, and with the support of the vast number of scientific researchers, we will quickly adapt to the space environment, enter work as soon as possible, complete the mission smoothly, efficiently, and successfully, and explore More secrets, harvest a better future, build a great new era with practical actions, and repay the high hopes and trust of the party and the people. Thanks!
03
May I ask 03 astronaut Li Guangsu, how did you arrange your space life in the past six months? What are your expectations for this mission?
Li Guangsu: Thank you for your question. Speaking of the upcoming six months of space life, I am full of expectations. It is my greatest happiness to be able to go into space for my motherland! The baton of manned spaceflight has been passed to our hands. The mission is glorious and the heavy responsibility rests on our shoulders. We must inherit and carry forward the "four special" manned spaceflight spirit, strengthen our mission, continue to struggle, run our baton well, and lay the foundation for the new era. China's aerospace industry has made new achievements!
Things in heaven are big things! Under the leadership of the commander and with the support of ground staff, we will take high-quality completion of missions as our primary goal, manage the station scientifically, strive for excellence, take good care of and maintain the space station, and make our space home better; The experiments should be refined and detailed so that the space laboratory can produce more results and good results.
I am even more looking forward to the speed and passion of 7.9 kilometers per second. I am eager to experience the different experience brought by weightlessness and experience the wonderful feeling of being able to "fly" without wings. After work, I want to take a good look at the beautiful blue planet, the beautiful mountains and rivers of the motherland, and find the places that have nurtured me along the way. I also want to see the stars in the sky for my lovely child. Will you blink. Thanks!
01
Commander Ye Guangfu, this year is the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Today is also the ninth "China Space Day", and we will go into space at this time of special significance. How are you feeling now? What do you want to express in your heart?
Ye Guangfu: Thank you! Special moments hold special meaning. What I am proud of is that during this mission, we will usher in the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China on the China Space Station, celebrating the National Day, the prosperity of the country, and the celebration of heaven and earth. Today coincides with the ninth "China Space Day", and 54 years ago today, my country's first artificial earth satellite "Dongfanghong-1" was successfully launched from this land. These all inspire us to work hard and keep climbing.
As we all know, this mission is the third manned flight of the space station as it enters the application and development stage. Looking back on the journey of manned spaceflight, from unmanned to manned, from inside the cabin to outside the cabin, from single cabin to multiple cabins, and then to the full-configuration Chinese space station, there are challenges, leaps and innovations all the way, and spaceflight generations after generations The people's tenacious struggle and continuous struggle have continuously written the glory of Chinese aerospace people's self-confidence, self-improvement, innovation and transcendence. Here, I pay tribute to all the strivers and climbers who have made selfless contributions to the aerospace industry of the motherland!
Looking up at the sky, in the vast space, we Chinese have our own "space home". At this moment, we are sincerely proud of our great motherland. At the same time, as an astronaut, it is our honor to be able to go into space for our motherland. We also ask the motherland and the people to rest assured that we will not forget our original intention, keep our mission in mind, and deliver an excellent answer to the party and the people with a full spirit and a high-spirited attitude of struggle. Thanks!
Photography/Liu Zekang
Source China Manned Space WeChat Official Account
Editor Gao Shanshan
Process Editor Yan Shengmiao
