China News Service, Zhengzhou, June 5th, Question: Feature: 1800 kilometers away to see my daughter on the expedition
Reporter Han Zhangyun
On June 5, the launch of the Shenzhou 14 manned spacecraft carrying three astronauts, Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe, was a complete success.
In Zhengzhou, Henan Province, which is more than 1,800 kilometers away from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, the home of female astronaut Liu Yang's parents Liu Shilin and Niu Xiyun was full of relatives, friends and neighbors early in the morning.
They sat around the TV and watched the astronauts go out.
Liu Yang, who has "flyed" for the second time, is China's first female astronaut and a girl from Zhengzhou, Henan.
The launch of the Shenzhou 14 manned spacecraft is a big happy event for the Liu family.
At 5 in the morning, Liu Yang's mother, Niu Xiyun, woke up and got up early to exercise as usual.
She said that she slept soundly that night.
Ten years ago, on the eve of her daughter's expedition into space as China's first female astronaut, she and her husband were so excited that they couldn't sleep all night.
Ten years have passed, and the two old people, who are already in their rare years, have calmed down a lot.
The launch of the Shenzhou 14 manned spacecraft was a complete success, and Niu Xiyun, the mother of astronaut Liu Yang, couldn't hide her joy.
Photo by Han Zhangyun
Liu Yang's father, Liu Shilin, who was sitting in front of the TV, was specially dressed in a red shirt.
"This dress has a background." He said with a smile, the dress was bought ten years ago to celebrate the successful launch of the Shenzhou-9 manned spacecraft.
Liu Shilin said that Chinese people wear red for a happy event. He wore it once ten years ago, and then put it on again ten years later. He wished his daughter a smooth "business trip" in space, and also wished the country's space industry a prosperous one.
The launch of the Shenzhou 14 manned spacecraft also aroused strong concern from the residents of the community.
In front of Liu Shilin's building, a brand new banner prepared by the property has been hung up - "Bless the successful launch of Shenzhou 14".
"The astronaut Liu Yang is the pride of our community." A lady surnamed Liu said excitedly. She felt honored to be neighbors with the astronaut's parents.
More than 20 relatives of the Liu family also arrived early. Like the New Year, everyone's faces were filled with joy.
Although there was a happy event at home, Liu Shilin and Niu Xiyun still maintained the simplicity and low-key of the past. In the simple living room, the most striking thing was the large-scale photos of the Shenzhou 9 crew on the wall, and Liu Yang wearing a spacesuit. photo.
A banner was hung in the community where Liu Yang's parents lived to wish the Shenzhou 14 manned spacecraft a successful launch.
Photo by Han Zhangyun
When the Shenzhou 14 astronaut crew appeared in front of the camera, and Liu Yang showed a confident and calm smile to everyone, Liu Shilin and Niu Xiyun, who had always been calm, waved and applauded at the TV excitedly.
Amid the applause and cheers of relatives and friends, Niu Xiyun couldn't help shedding tears, "My daughter is my eternal pride, I am proud of her!"
When the countdown to the launch entered ten minutes, the Liu family was all surrounded by the TV, and the originally noisy living room was instantly quiet.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, ignition... At 10:44, the rocket carrying the Shenzhou 14 manned spacecraft was ignited and launched.
The moment the rocket took off, Liu Shilin closed his eyes, Niu Xiyun clenched his hands, the living room was surprisingly quiet, only the click of the camera shutter and the whirring of the fan were heard, and no one spoke.
It wasn't until more than ten minutes later that the ship and the arrow separated, and the objects around the three astronauts in the TV screen floated in the zero-gravity environment, and applause broke out in the Liu's living room.
Liu Shilin and his wife finally smiled comfortably. They knew that this meant that the launch was almost successful.
Later, it was announced on live TV that the launch of the Shenzhou 14 manned spacecraft was a complete success. The small living room was boiling with applause and cheers.
Ten years ago, Liu Yang's uncle Niu Zhenxi watched the live broadcast of his niece's flight to space on Shenzhou 9 in front of the TV. Ten years later, he is still not absent.
He said that now Liu Yang is a role model for the younger generation of the family to learn from.
Before the expedition, astronaut Liu Yang posted "Prepare, set off" in the circle of friends.
Photo by Han Zhangyun
Niu Zhenxi showed the reporter Liu Yangfa's circle of friends at 4:42 a.m. that day.
For the second "business trip" to space, her circle of friends only has the simple words "prepare, go." It is accompanied by three pictures, namely "our space", "I love you China" and "Hugging the stars and hugging you".
"She is low-key as always." Niu Zhenxi couldn't help but smile.
Talking about the successful launch of the Shenzhou 14 manned spacecraft, Niu Xiyun couldn't hide his joy.
She said that her heart has followed the girl to space. "Wherever she goes, my heart will be there." She also revealed that her daughter will spend her birthday in space in October this year, and she has prepared a blind box gift , waiting for her daughter to return to Earth to "reveal the secret".
Liu Shilin expressed his feelings with the words "reassured, excited and proud". He said that he believed in China's aerospace technology, and the astronauts would be able to return to Earth safely.
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