Nie Haisheng

Niè Hǎishèng
Niè Hǎishèng
CNSA Astronaut
Nationality	Chinese
Born	October 13, 1964 (1964-10-13) (age 47) Zaoyang, Hubei
Other occupation	Fighter pilot
Rank	Colonel, PLAAF
Time in space	4 days, 19 hours, 33 min
Selection	Chinese Group 1
Missions	Shenzhou 6

Colonel Niè Hǎishèng (simplified Chinese: 聂海胜; traditional Chinese: 聶海勝) (born October 13, 1964) is a Chinese military pilot and CNSA astronaut (yuhangyuan).

Military career

Nie was born in Yangdang town of Zaoyang, Hubei Province. After graduating from high school he joined the People's Liberation Army Air Force and became a fighter pilot. During his training at the PLAAF's No. 7 Flying School he was:

• Commander of a flight squadron
• Deputy Commander of a group
• Master navigator

Nie graduated in 1987 and continued his career in the PLAAF. He has reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

On 12 June 1989 while flying at 13,000 feet (4000 m) his plane suffered an explosion and he lost his engine. The plane began to spin to the ground and the cabin began to heat up. Trying to regain control he waited until the plane was 1300 to 1700 feet (400 to 500 meters) before choosing to eject. For his handling of the situation he was honored with third-class merit.

CNSA career

In 1998, he was selected for the Chinese spaceflight program and was one of three candidates who were part of the final group to train for the Shenzhou 5 flight, China's first manned spaceflight. Yáng Lìwěi was picked for the flight, with Zhai Zhigang ranked second ahead of Niè Hǎishèng.

Nie went into orbit, along with Fèi Jùnlóng (commander), as flight engineer of the Shenzhou 6 flight on October 12, 2005. The mission lasted just under five days.

Personal

He is married to Niè Jiélín (Simplified Chinese: 聂捷琳) and has a daughter born in 1994. During the Shenzhou 6 mission he celebrated his 41st birthday in space

The asteroid 9517 Niehaisheng was named after him.

See also

• List of Chinese astronauts

External links

• "Road to the space: stories of Niè Hǎishèng". PLA Daily. 2003-10-22. http://english.pladaily.com.cn/english/pladaily/2003/10/23/20031023001021_MilitaryNews.html. 
• "Behind Every Successful Spaceship Launch is a Group of Women". Women of China English Monthly. January 2004. http://www.womenofchina.com.cn/womenofchina/web/figures/today/shenwu.htm. 
• "China Prepares for Shenzhou VI Space Flight 13 October - Agency". China News Service. 24 September 2005. http://www.rednova.com/news/space/250050/china_prepares_for_shenzhou_vi_space_flight_13_october_/. 
• Niè Hǎishèng at the Encyclopedia Astronautica. Accessed 22 July 2005.
• Spacefacts biography of Nie Haisheng

Persondata
Name	Nie Haisheng
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1964-10-13
Place of birth	Zaoyang, Hubei
Date of death
Place of death