A Boeing 707 passenger plane soared into the sky with a roar. A teenager ran out of the house and shouted: "Sister, come and see, the plane is coming again!" The two siblings lay on the stone slab at the door, looking up at the plane passing by the blue sky. .

　　In the 1980s, Chengdu Shuangliu was one of the few places in China where you could often see airplanes. This also made Ye Guangfu's sisters and brothers, who were born here, curious about airplanes since they were young.

　　Now, that little boy has grown into an astronaut.

At this moment, he is overlooking the blue earth at the Tiangong Space Station.

On December 9, 2021, Ye Guangfu, who performed the Shenzhou 13 space mission for the first time, and Zhai Zhigang and Wang Yaping also completed the first space teaching at the China Space Station.

　　From "looking up at the plane" to "overlooking the earth", more than 30 years of persistence, in exchange for a teenager's dream come true.

　　Teenager looking at airplane

　　I hope to take my sister and mother to the sky together

　　Probably in many people's teenage dreams, there will be dreams about "sky" and "universe", and Ye Guangfu is like that.

If there is any subtle difference, it is that he can see the plane every day.

　　Ye Guangfu’s older sister, Ye Yadan, recalled that her younger brother liked to watch planes with her when she was young. In the clouds." Ye Yadan said. It was also at that time that Ye Guangfu said to her: "Sister, I want to be a pilot when I grow up. I will fly you and my mother into the blue sky."

　　Ye Yadan recalled that there were few toys for children at that time, and his younger brother liked to make handicrafts. He made airplane models and rocket models, and he often learned about aerospace and aviation.

The conditions of the family were not good. His father died when Ye Guangfu was 8 years old. The siblings have been helping his mother with some farm work, feeding pigs, rabbits, and chickens.

　　In Ye Guangfu's growth trajectory, his mother was the one who influenced his life.

In Ye Guangfu’s memory when he was a child, his mother was alone in his family carrying the burden. Some children from other families had dropped out of school for a long time, but his mother let him just study hard and grow up to become a useful person to society.

　　In order for him to study, his mother took care of planting mulberry saplings in the village, fertilizing, watering, weeding, and taking care of it all by her alone.

Once, when Ye Guangfu returned from school, he watched his mother irrigate the saplings on the water and mountains with a burden.

This picture is also deeply imprinted in his memory. Whenever he encounters difficulties, he thinks of his mother's back, so he has the courage to persist.

　　50 yuan to start dreaming

　　The whole family cried after being admitted to the flight academy

　　In the third year of high school, the news of the Air Force recruitment spread to Ye Guangfu's school.

He hurried home on his bike and said, "Our school has recruiting students, I want to try it!" Ye Yadan recalled that at the time, his family felt that the opportunity came too suddenly and was unprepared, although they all wanted him to try. , But can’t make up the 50 yuan toll for a while.

After some thoughts, the mother said firmly: "Go, I'll find a way for the money!" In the end, the family pieced together and collected 50 yuan.

　　During the exam preparation period, in order to make Ye Guangfu better in his health, his third aunt specialized in a variety of vegetables, and the family also specially left him some more eggs, "We hope to make him better. There were no supplements at that time. You can only eat more vegetables, fruits and eggs." Ye Yadan said.

　　Personal persistence and family support will eventually pay off. When he learned that he was admitted, Ye Guangfu hugged his mother and sister to celebrate. He also asked her sister to pinch himself a few times, fearing that it was in a dream.

"Our family cried. That night, my mother sold the vegetables in the house, bought the meat, and cooked twice-cooked pork that my brother liked. That was the happiest meal in our memory." Ye Yadan Say.

　　Taking the first step towards dreaming is happy, but it also means that the wanderer will travel far.

Ye Yadan recalled that when Ye Guangfu went to Changchun by train, his family went to the station to see him off.

It was the first time that my younger brother was away from home. He hugged everyone once.

The mother didn't say much, only told her son: "Learn to do it well."

　　With the expectations of his family, Ye Guangfu entered the Air Force Changchun Flight Academy to study.

　　Flew 5 types of aircraft

　　Participated in 15 days of cave training in Sardinia

　　Ye Guangfu, who is studying abroad, communicates with his family through letters.

Ye Yadan recalled that his younger brother always said in his letter that he was fine, and hoped that his family would not worry.

"When I see my brother every Spring Festival, he is more mature and stable." Ye Yadan said.

　　According to the relevant introduction of the China Manned Space Engineering Network, in 2000, after Ye Guangfu graduated from the Changchun Flight Academy of the Air Force, for 10 years, due to work needs, he moved on average once every two years, moved to many provinces, and flew 5 types of aircraft.

Every time you change a model, every time you change a unit, everything has to be cleared and learn from the beginning.

"But no matter where I go, I still love flying, and I still love this blue sky." Ye Guangfu said.

　　When the selection of the second batch of astronauts started in 2009, Ye Guangfu signed up. He was eager to fly into deeper space.

　　When Li Qinglong, one of the first astronauts, visited Ye Guangfu’s unit as a member of the assessment team, he looked at Ye Guangfu’s resume and praised: “After frequent mobilization, he still doesn’t change his original intention and loves flying. He must be a firm and persistent person in his career. ."

　　In 2010, Ye Guangfu formally joined the astronaut team.

"His training content never told us, and later learned from TV that training like 8G centrifugal force is very difficult." Ye Yadan said.

　　According to the China Manned Space Engineering Network, as a representative of Chinese astronauts, Ye Guangfu participated in a 15-day cave training organized by the European Space Agency with five astronauts from the United States, Russia, Spain, and Japan.

In the caves deep in the high mountains of Sardinia, there is no sunlight, no sound, and even food choices are very limited. This extreme environment similar to space is an ideal place to evaluate and exercise astronauts.

Ye Guangfu travels with weight for more than 5 hours a day, or climbs on cliffs, or rises and falls in vertical deep caves, or swims across rivers with hidden dangers, step by step startling.

　　As the head of the key project exploration team, Ye Guangfu completed two cave branch survey tasks with the joint assistance of the team members and discovered the stunning Jericho Hall.

He also obtained the right to name a cave passage and named it "Guang Ming Gallery", that is, "Bright Pass".

　　On October 16, 2021, Shenzhou 13 lifted off. Ye Guangfu, together with astronauts Zhai Zhigang and Wang Yaping, rushed to China's own space station.

The young man in Chengdu Shuangliu who once "looked up at the plane" finally realized his dream of flying to the sky.

　　West China Metropolis Daily-Cover News Reporter Chen Yanfei Yang Jiyue