Liu Yang (taikonaut)

Liu Yang (Chinese: 刘洋; pinyin: Liú Yáng; born October 6, 1978) is a Chinese military transport pilot and taikonaut. On June 16, 2012, Yang became the first Chinese woman in space, as a crew member of Shenzhou 9.^[2][3][4]

For other people named Liu Yang, see Liu Yang.

In this Chinese name, the family name is Liu.

Liu Yang
刘洋
Liu in 2013
Born	(1978-10-06) October 6, 1978 (age 46) Zhengzhou, Henan, China
Status	Active
Spouse	Zhang Hua
Children	2
Space career
PLAAC Taikonaut
Previous occupation	Military transport pilot, PLAAF
Rank	Senior Colonel, PLASSF
Time in space	195 days, 0 hours and 50 minutes
Selection	Chinese Group 2[1]
Total EVAs	1
Total EVA time	6 hours, 7 minutes
Missions	Shenzhou 9, Shenzhou 14

Liu Yang
Traditional Chinese	劉洋
Simplified Chinese	刘洋
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Liú Yáng IPA [ljǒʊ jǎŋ]

Biography

Liu Yang was born in Zhengzhou, Henan province in 1978,^[5] into a worker's family of Linzhou, Anyang origin.^[6][7][8] Her father Liu Shilin (刘士林) was an assistant engineer in the technical department of Zhengzhou First Food Machinery Factory, and her mother Niu Xiyun (牛喜云) was a worker in Zhengzhou Light Automobile Manufacturing Factory.^[6] She is the only child in her family.^[6] As a child, Liu aspired to become a lawyer or a bus conductor.^[9]

Liu Yang joined the PLA Air Force in 1997 and qualified as a pilot before becoming the deputy head of a flight unit, holding the PLAAF rank of major. She graduated from PLA Air Force Aviation University in Changchun. She is a veteran pilot with 1,680 hours of flying experience. After two years of astronaut training, Yang excelled in testing before being selected with another woman, Wang Yaping, as a candidate for the People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC).^[10]

Liu Yang was selected for the crew of Shenzhou 9, the first crewed mission to the experimental Chinese space station Tiangong 1, along with Jing Haipeng — the first repeat Chinese space traveller — and Liu Wang. The mission was launched on June 16, 2012, 49 years to the day after the first female space traveller, cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, was launched.^[11] During Shenzhou 9's mission, Liu performed experiments in space medicine.^[12]

On June 5, 2022, Liu launched aboard Shenzhou 14 to the Tiangong space station for a mission of approximately 6 months, during which she assisted with the station's assembly and expansion.^[13] On September 1, 2022, Liu became the second Chinese woman to perform a spacewalk.^[14]

Personal life

Liu Yang is married to Zhang Hua (张华), and the couple have a son and a daughter.^{[15][16][17][6]} Her first child's birth was announced in February 2015.^[18]

Liu Yang has been described as an eloquent speaker, an avid reader and also a lover of cooking.^[19]

See also

• Women in space
  • Valentina Tereshkova
  • Sally Ride
  • Chinese women in space
    • Wang Yaping