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Women astronauts set to fly by 2010
By Zhao Huanxin (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-07-26 06:08
Chinese women astronauts will soon be reaching for the stars along with their
male counterparts, an official with China's space programme said last night.
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President of the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation Jeffrey
Greene (left) presents the Arthur Chen award to China's first astronaut
Yang Liwei in Beijing yesterday to mark his contribution to the country's
manned space programme.
US astronauts Charles Duke (second right),
Charles Bolden (second left) and Mae Jemison also attended the ceremony
[CD].
| They will embark on a space mission no later than 2010, working as flight
commanders or on-board engineers, Hu Shixiang, deputy chief commander of China's
Manned Space Programme, told China Daily.
The selection process, to formally start in 2006, will choose at least four
women astronauts, but will not necessarily favour professional pilots, Hu said
while attending a reception for three American astronauts, who arrived in
Beijing last week.
This year China's air force has selected around 30 women pilots, some of whom
are reportedly intended to be future astronauts.
"It is true women aviators have some advantages in terms of flight experience
and physique, but we need payload experts with strong science and engineering
background to do experiments in outer space," he added.
That means China will focus on women with science and
education backgrounds when looking for candidates, Hu said.
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