WHILE flying, Chen Dong often wondered what it would be like to push through the Earth’s atmosphere, he recalled. Now he knows.

    The first-timer is looking forward to seeing Earth from space, but his mind is more occupied by the mission at hand. “I have many responsibilities during the mission,” Chen said. “I’m a driver, navigator, scientist, farmer, mechanic and not to mention a janitor — after all we must keep the spacecraft clean.”

    Chen was born in Luoyang, central China’s Henan Province. He joined the People’s Liberation Army in 1997 and is a first-grade Air Force pilot. Before being enlisted as an astronaut, he had clocked 1,500 hours of flight time.

    Chen is married and has 5-year-old twin sons. He likes to read, but with such a tight training schedule, he spends most of his spare time with his family. When he is at home, he loves to tell stories to his kids.

    (Xinhua)