Liu Boming | |
|---|---|
 Liu Boming speaking at theChinese University of Hong Kong | |
| Born | (1966-09-17)17 September 1966 (age 59) Nenjiang,Heilongjiang, China |
| Alma mater |  PLA Air Force Changchun Flight College |
| Space career | |
| PLAAC astronaut | |
Previous occupation | Fighter pilot,PLAAF |
| Rank | Major general,PLASSF |
Time in space | 95 days and 38 minutes |
| Selection | Chinese Group 1 |
TotalEVAs | 3 |
Total EVA time | 13 hours 3 minutes[1] |
| Missions | Shenzhou 7,Shenzhou 12 |
Liu Boming (simplified Chinese:刘伯明;traditional Chinese:劉伯明;pinyin:Liú Bómíng; born 17 September 1966) is amajor general in the ChinesePeople's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force (PLASSF). Afighter pilot in thePLA Air Force (PLAAF), he was selected into thePLA Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) in 1998. AShenzhou 7 veteran, he also worked on theTiangong space station during theShenzhou 12 mission from June to September 2021.
With a combined total of three EVA's performed, he spent some 13 hours walking in space which is currently the record by a Chinese astronaut.
Liu, along withZhai Zhigang andJing Haipeng, was chosen to be the main crew ofShenzhou 7, with Zhai as commander, on 17 September 2008. On 25 September, at 21:10 CST, they launched into space as China's thirdhuman spaceflight mission, and the first Chinese mission ever to have a three-man crew.[2] Liu and Zhai participated in China's first-everspace walk.
Liu wore a RussianOrlan-M spacesuit, while Zhai wore the Chinese-madeFeitian space suit. Liu remained in the open portal of the orbital module, assisting Zhai on his spacewalk; later in the space walk, Liu also performed a stand-up extra-vehicular activity, partially leaving the orbital module in order to hand Zhai a Chinese flag.[3] After the spacewalk, Liu said in an interview that his inspiration and idols have always beenNeil Armstrong andYuri Gagarin.[4]
In 2018, he became a PhD candidate atBeijing Institute of Technology.[5]
On 17 June 2021, Liu flew onShenzhou 12 as his second spaceflight, becoming one of the three initial crew members to enter theTiangong space station.[6][7] On 4 July 2021, Liu andTang Hongbo, another crew member of Shenzhou 12, completed the first extravehicular activity of the Tiangong space station.[8] On 20 August 2021, Liu and mission commanderNie Haisheng carried out the second extravehicular activity of the space station,[9] making him the first Chinese national to perform extravehicular activities multiple times.
