After serving as a backup（后备，备份）crew member for 24 years, Chinese taikonaut Deng Qingming's dream is (final) coming true—he is performing his first space mission onboard the Shenzhou XV spaceship along two other astronauts.
The name of Deng, 56 years old, was not known by many people until China (launch) the Shenzhou XIII spaceship in October last year. The story of the veteran (老兵) who determinedly pursued his space dream despite (serve) as a backup for years moved many.
Born in a farming family in East China's Jiangxi province, Deng has four (young) brothers and sisters. As a diligent student, Deng joined the PLA Air Force in June 1984 and (assign) to a fighter jet regiment (团) in Jilin province in November 1987. Deng was selected with another 13 pilots in the PLA Air Force's (select) of astronaut candidates in 1996.
In the following years, Deng dedicated almost all of his time to training and has spared no effort (strive) for an opportunity to fly into space. No matter difficult the road to space flight is, Deng never once thought of giving up. He was awarded title "Role Model of the Times" by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee in 2018.
