Soviet Gagarin was the first astronaut to fly into space, American Neil Alden Armstrong was the first astronaut to land on the moon, and Yang Liwei was the first Chinese astronaut. Everyone knows this, but do you know who was the first Asian to fly into space?
On July 23, 1980, Asia’s first astronaut and Soviet astronaut Viktor Gorbatko boarded the spacecraft Union 37 and completed the mission into the universe. The first Asian astronaut to fly into space was neither Chinese nor Japanese.
And he, the Vietnamese Pham Tuan, also became the first Vietnamese and Asian to fly into space, and represented the Vietnamese youth to fulfill the dream entrusted to Ho Chi Minh, the party, the country and the people.
Fan Zun joined the Vietnam People’s Air Force in 1965. He was a fighter pilot during the Vietnam War and was commended by the government in 1972. At that time, the Vietnamese government stated that Fan Zun shot down a US B-52 bomber. But the U.S. government said the bomber was shot down by an anti-aircraft missile.
In 1978-1979, the Soviet Union wanted to invite Vietnam to participate in the "International Astronaut Program"; the Soviet Union wanted to use this program to demonstrate the comprehensive national strength of socialist countries to other non-socialist countries, and Vietnam also wanted to It must demonstrate its "super" strength to the outside world, including science and technology, science industry, etc.
Although life was not easy at that time, the Vietnamese government at that time was determined to tell the world that Vietnam was not only good at fighting, but also had the potential to become an advanced country in science and technology, including aerospace technology. .
Although many Vietnamese astronauts met the threshold to participate in the "International Astronaut Program" at that time, they still had to go through a strict selection process of 6 to 7 months, including tests of physical fitness, recognition ability, and knowledge of the universe. , can it truly meet the standards of flying into space.
After passing the first stage of testing in Vietnam, four astronauts were selected to go to the Soviet Union for the second round of screening, including Nguy?n V?n C?c, Pei Qinglian, Nguy?n V?n Kháng, and Fan Zun.
The four astronauts underwent a month of physical examination at the Central Military Hospital in Moscow, and the test results were announced by the Soviet State Scientific Conference. At that time, the four candidates were very nervous. As a result, Fan Zun and Pei Qinglian passed the test in the end.
After that, the two men trained at the Soviet Space Center for 16 months, but it was not until three days before the mission that Fan Zun knew that he was an astronaut who actually performed the mission, and that he had to work with another Soviet cosmonaut. Astronaut Gorbatko carried out a lot of preparatory work together, including checking the tasks to be completed after entering space and arranging the sequence of each task.
Two hours before takeoff, although the chance of an accident was low, Fan Zun still felt uneasy, but this uneasiness soon disappeared and was replaced by confidence in the training he had received and the flight team. Full of confidence.
Gorbatko, who flew with Fan Zun, was one of the first 21 astronauts from the Soviet Union to fly into space. He had been in space twice before going on the mission with Fan Zun and had considerable experience. .
At 1:33 Hanoi time on July 23, 1980, Fan Zun and Gorbatko took the spacecraft Union 37 and successfully lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in the Soviet Union, carrying The Vietnamese flag, their name is also officially imprinted on the map of space travel.
The mission lasted nearly 8 days, including a 6-day flight experiment on the "Salyut-6" space station (the Soviet Union's first practical space station). Salyut-6 was launched on September 29, 1977 and remained in orbit for 4 years and 10 months. It was the longest manned space program of the Soviet Union.
Fan Zun returned to serve in the army after the space mission and was promoted to Air Force Major General. Later he joined the National Assembly and was appointed Chairman of the General Administration of Defense Industry and was promoted to Lieutenant General in 2008. Retired from the Air Force.
Fan Zun once expressed his expectations for the aerospace technology industry, saying that although Vietnam is rich in talents, it still needs to have a specific strategic plan, in-depth cooperation with the international community, learn other countries’ science and technology, and apply the achievements of space technology In manufacturing, defense technology, etc.
Born in 1947 in Taiping Province, Vietnam.
Joined the Vietnam Air Force in 1965.
In 1972, he became the first pilot to shoot down an American bomber B52.
In 1980, he became the first foreigner to be awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Graduated from Gagarin Air Force School in 1982.
Obtained the rank of loyal military in 2000, and served as the general director of the General Administration of Industry directly under the Ministry of National Defense.
Retired in 2007.