Liu Boming (; born September 17, 1966) is a

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

in the Chinese People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force (PLASSF). A

fighter pilot A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained to engage in air-to-air combat, air-to-ground combat and sometimes electronic warfare while in the cockpit of a fighter aircraft. Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and ...

in the

PLA Air Force The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF; ), also known as the Chinese Air Force (中国空军) or the People's Air Force (人民空军), is an aerial service branch of the People's Liberation Army, the regular armed forces of the Peo ...

(PLAAF), he was selected into the PLA Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) in 1998. A

Shenzhou 7 Shenzhou 7 () was the third human spaceflight mission of the Chinese space program. The mission, which included the first Chinese extra-vehicular activity (EVA) carried out by crew members Zhai Zhigang and Liu Boming, marked the commencement o ...

veteran, he also worked on the Tiangong space station during the Shenzhou 12 mission from June to September 2021. With a combined total of three EVA's performed, he spent some 13 hours walking in space which is currently the record by a Chinese astronaut.

Astronaut Corps career

Liu, along with

Zhai Zhigang Zhai Zhigang (; born 11 October 1966) is a Chinese major general of the People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force (PLASSF) in active service as a People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonaut. During the Shenzhou 7 mission ...

and

Jing Haipeng Jing Haipeng (; born 24 October 1966) is a major general of the People's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF) in active service as a vice-commander of the 82nd Group Army. A fighter pilot in the PLA Air Force (PLAAF), he was selected to be a ...

, was chosen to be the main crew of

, with Zhai as commander, on 17 September 2008. On 25 September, at 21:10 CST, they launched into space as China's third

human spaceflight Human spaceflight (also referred to as manned spaceflight or crewed spaceflight) is spaceflight with a crew or passengers aboard a spacecraft, often with the spacecraft being operated directly by the onboard human crew. Spacecraft can also be ...

mission, and the first Chinese mission ever to have a three-man crew. Liu and Zhai participated in China's first-ever

space walk Extravehicular activity (EVA) is any activity done by an astronaut in outer space outside a spacecraft. In the absence of a breathable Earthlike atmosphere, the astronaut is completely reliant on a space suit for environmental support. EVA inc ...

. Liu wore a Russian Orlan-M spacesuit, while Zhai wore the Chinese-made Feitian space suit. Liu remained in the open portal of the orbital module, assisting Zhai on his spacewalk; later in the space walk, Liu also performed a stand-up extra-vehicular activity, partially leaving the orbital module in order to hand Zhai a Chinese flag. After the spacewalk, Liu said in an interview that his inspiration and idols have always been

Neil Armstrong Neil Alden Armstrong (August 5, 1930 – August 25, 2012) was an American astronaut and aeronautical engineer who became the first person to walk on the Moon in 1969. He was also a naval aviator, test pilot, and university professor. ...

and

Yuri Gagarin Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin; Gagarin's first name is sometimes transliterated as ''Yuriy'', ''Youri'', or ''Yury''. (9 March 1934 – 27 March 1968) was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut who became the first human to journey into outer space. T ...

. In 2018, he became as PhD candidate at

Beijing Institute of Technology Beijing Institute of Technology (abbreviated BIT; Simplified Chinese characters, Simplified Chinese: 北京理工大学; Traditional Chinese characters, Traditional Chinese: 北京理工大學; pinyin: Běijīng Lǐgōng Dàxué), is a National u ...

. On 17 June 2021, Liu flew on Shenzhou 12 as his second spaceflight, becoming one of the three initial crew members to enter the Tiangong space station. On 4 July 2021, Liu and Tang Hongbo, another crew member of Shenzhou 12, completed the first extravehicular activity of the Tiangong space station. On 20 August 2021, Liu and mission commander Nie Haisheng carried out the second extravehicular activity of the space station, making him the first Chinese national to perform extravehicular activities multiple times.

References

External links

Liu Boming
at the

Encyclopedia Astronautica The ''Encyclopedia Astronautica'' is a reference web site on space travel. A comprehensive catalog of vehicles, technology, astronauts, and flights, it includes information from most countries that have had an active rocket research program, f ...

. Accessed 23 July 2005.
Spacefacts biography of Liu Boming
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liu, Boming 1966 births Shenzhou program astronauts People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps Shenzhou 7 Living people People's Liberation Army Air Force personnel People's Liberation Army generals from Heilongjiang PLA Air Force Aviation University alumni Spacewalkers

Astronaut Corps career

See also

References

External links