Nie Haisheng
A Chinese spacefarer who journeyed from flying fighter jets to commanding the nation's astronaut corps, logging over 19 days in orbit across three historic missions.
Born 1964 (age 62)·Chinese taikonaut and fighter pilot·Birthday: October 13·Baby Boomers
Biography
Nie Haisheng's path to the stars began in the cockpit of a Chinese air force fighter jet, a background that provided the steely discipline required for spaceflight. Selected in the second cohort of Chinese astronauts in 1998, his first mission came in 2005 aboard Shenzhou 6, a crucial multi-day flight that solidified China's independent human spaceflight capabilities. He returned to orbit seven years later on Shenzhou 10, which included a manual docking exercise with the Tiangong-1 space lab. His career reached its zenith in 2021 as the commander of the Shenzhou 12 mission, the first crewed flight to the core module of China's new Tiangong space station. At 56, he became the oldest Chinese national to go to space, spending three months living and working aboard the station. Promoted to Major General and later named commander of the PLA Astronaut Corps, Nie represents the steady, experienced backbone of China's ambitious space program.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Nie was born in 1964, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Nie Was Born
The biggest hits of 1964
#1 Movie
Mary Poppins
Best Picture
My Fair Lady
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
Nie's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1964Born
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1969Started school
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1977Became a teenager
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1980Could drive
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1982Could vote
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1985Turned 21
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1994Turned 30
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2004Turned 40
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2014Turned 50
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2024Turned 60
AI reshapes industries; Paris Olympics
Gas: $3.31/galHome: $372,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Espresso" — Sabrina CarpenterBest Picture: Anora
2026Age 62 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as commander of the historic Shenzhou 12 mission, the first crewed expedition to China's Tiangong space station in 2021.
- Piloted the Shenzhou 10 mission in 2013, performing a manual docking with the Tiangong-1 space laboratory.
- Was a crew member on the Shenzhou 6 mission in 2005, China's second human spaceflight and first multi-day mission.
- Appointed as the third Commander of the People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps, overseeing astronaut training and selection.
Did You Know?
He celebrated his 56th birthday aboard the Tiangong space station during the Shenzhou 12 mission.
Before his first flight, he promised his daughter he would bring back stars from space; he later named an asteroid after her.
He is known for playing the *zhudi* (a Chinese end-blown flute) and took one to space on the Shenzhou 10 mission.
During a pre-flight ejection seat training incident in his air force days, he suffered a retinal hemorrhage but recovered fully.
“I saw the curvature of the Earth and felt the vastness of space.”
