(Xinhua) Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng, two former fighter pilots from southern China, will be in space soon aboard China's second manned spacecraft Shenzhou-6 on the morning of September 12 .
Nie Haisheng, 41 years old, came from Zaoyang City, Hubei Province. He was among the final candidates for China's first manned space flight and saw Yang Liwei off at the launch pad two years ago. Now 24 months have passed, Yang saw him off for a new space mission.
In the eye of Yang, Nie was persistent and dauntless, and at the same time, prudent. "He doesn't talk much. He is a hard-working and cooperative guy," Yang said.
A cowboy and the sixth child of a poor family with eight children, Nie cultivated a sort of patience and diligence that were seldom seen in common people.
In 1984, Nie entered the flight training school of the Air Force. On June 12, 1989, he was in an independent flight for the first time and the only engine of the plane came to a halt suddenly more than 4,000 meters above the ground.
The plane dived fast, and ground control ordered Nie to abandon the vehicle and escape by parachute. But Nie risked his life trying to bring the plane back safely until it dropped to a height of 400-500 meters from the ground. Upon his narrow escape, Nie was awarded a third-class merit citation for his extraordinary courage.
Though selected as one of the final three candidates for the Shenzhou-5 mission two years ago, Nie has gone through strict screening procedures this time.
"We should never slacken our efforts to explore the mystery of space," Nie said.
