Nie Haisheng

He was selected to be the commander of the backup crew for the Shenzhou 9 mission. In 2013, Nie was selected to command the Shenzhou 10 second manned space mission to the first Chinese space station Tiangong 1. He became the first officer hold general rank at the time of their launch in the Chinese program with the Shenzhou 10 mission.

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

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. Yang Liwei was picked for the flight, with Zhai Zhigang ranked second ahead of Niè Hǎishèng.

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.

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

Nie was born on 13 October 1964 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. He trained at the PLAAF's No. 7 Flying School and graduated in 1987.