First Pinoy astronaut gets an advanced despedida

Published July 7, 2014 4:22pm

As he prepares for his first space flight in 2015, the Philippines' first astronaut was feted by his relatives both in the United States and in the Philippines.

Chino Roque also said he has been preparing for the space flight with cross-fit training, according to a report Monday on GMA News TV's "News to Go."

The report said Roque's relatives in Carson City feted him for being one of the chosen few among a field of candidates from as many as 60 countries.

Even his relatives in the Philippines are proud of him, it added.

Roque and his fellow astronauts are expected to blast off into space in 2015.

In the meantime, he said he is preparing for his space mission with cross-fit training.

This is a mix of strength training, power lifting, gymnastics, and Olympic lifting, he said, "for me to be very prepared for the space flight."

Roque is a psychology graduate from De La Salle University. — Joel Locsin/TJD, GMA News

Tags: chinoroque, astronaut, spaceexploration