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According to the Space International magazine
under the China Academy of Space Technology, the
two women astronauts, whose identity would be
revealed only before the launch, were selected
from 15 women, the Shanghai Daily reported.
These candidates should be married and have neither
scars nor body odour. Besides, they should have
given birth naturally, it added.
Pang Zhihao, of the magazine, said: "They
even should not have decayed teeth because any
small flaw might cause great trouble or a disaster
in space."
A scar might open and start bleeding in space
and the cramped conditions would intensify body
odour, said Pang.
The female astronauts must be married and have
given birth naturally because that ensures their
body and mental condition are mature enough, said
Xu Xianrong, a professor with the General Hospital
of the PLA Air Force.
According to Li Wei, deputy designer for spacecraft
systems with the China Aerospace and Technology
Corporation, three Chinese astronauts will be
finally chosen from the candidates to fly aboard
the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft.
Shenzhou-9 will manually dock with Tiangong-1,
an orbiting module of the country's planned space
station, and conduct scientific experiments, Li
added.
The seven candidates for Shenzhou-9 were picked
from fighter pilots. Another 45 astronauts, 15
female and 30 male, were selected as backups,
Li said.
The former Soviet Union sent the world's first
female astronaut, Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova,
into space in 1963. After that several women,
particularly from the US, have taken part in space
missions.
(IANS)
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