China reveals Shenzhou-21 mission crew: the youngest taikonaut in history heads to space!

China has officially unveiled the trio of taikonauts that will embark on another manned mission, Shenzhou-21, to the Chinese space station on Friday. At a press conference on Thursday, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced that the crew consists of Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang.

Start kosmické lodi Shenzhou-21 je naplánován na Friday at 23:44 Beijing time z Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

The mission commander will be an experienced taikonaut Zhang Lu, who had already taken part in a flight Shenzhou-15. Along with him will fly Wu Fei a Zhang Hongzhang z third generation of Chinese taikonauts, kteří zažijí svůj první vesmírný let. Wu Fei, born in 1993, will become the youngest taikonaut in Chinese history, ...who's going on a space mission.

Zhang Lu will act as pilot, Wu Fei jako letový inženýr and Zhang Hongzhang as Scientific circulation specialist - thus collectively representing the three main types of Chinese astronauts in active service.

At the press conference, Zhang Lu stressed that the crew members come from of three different generations - from the '70s, '80s and '90s. „Our differences are our strength. We each bring different experiences and ways of thinking that complement each other perfectly,“ uvedl.

He added with a smile that Wu Fei is full of energy and sportsmanship. „They say that when Wu Fei is around, even the centrifuge spins more cheerfully,“ žertoval Zhang.

Wu Fei said he appreciated the opportunity to be part of a new era of regular manned missions, that give younger generations a better chance to fly and serve the country early in their careers.

Zhang Hongzhang, who previously worked in Čínské akademii věd and devoted himself to research new energies and materials, ...likes poetry and Tai Chi. Colleagues say he could turn a space station into a „garden in orbit“, where he would combine scientific research with growing plants, reciting poems and practicing Tai Chi in a state of weightlessness.

Zhang Hongzhang added that China's manned space programme vstoupil do new phases of development and use. „Aboard the space station, we can now carry out experiments that earlier generations only dreamed of - and solve questions that remained unsolved for them,“ he said.

CMG