When Yang Liwei, the first Chinese-trained astronaut in space,
stepped out of the capsule of Shenzhou V at 6:23 am Beijing time
yesterday, the launch and return of the Shenzhou V turned out to be
a complete success.
But it's impossible for Yang to easily forget the hard days he
experienced in the selection and training process for becoming an
astronaut and instant national hero.
"It's really a hard job when it comes to the training and
various requirements," Yang said in a TV interview before heading
into space.
"But that means nothing when we think of the dream cherished by
all generations of Chinese people, and the hope it will come true,"
he added.
The historic manned space flight has made Yang a celebrity of
the first order, yet there are hundreds more heroes behind the
scenes.
The first generation of Chinese astronauts were chosen from
among 1,500 fighter pilots in the air force of the Chinese People's
Liberation Army, according to Su Shuangning, commander-in-chief and
chief designer of astronaut systems in China's manned space
program.
Both the excellent physical and psychological conditions and
quick response capabilities of the astronauts ensured the success
of the first manned space flight, he said after the launch and
return of Shenzhou V yesterday.
The selection standards are very rigorous, with only one of 100
meeting the requirements, Su said.
China started its astronaut selection process in 1996 and about
600 pilots qualified in the preliminary round, with just 60 left
after a second round of cuts.
The selectees then came to Beijing for a thorough physical
check-up and psychological testing. Those who survived the
examination formed the current astronaut team.
"All the finalists are college graduates and have flying
experience of at least 1,000 hours," Su said.
According to the selection criteria, the standard figure for a
Chinese astronaut is around 1.7 meters with a weight of about 65
kilograms.
"This is the standard build of an ordinary Chinese man, but
people of smaller build are preferred considering the limited space
of the capsule," Su said.
Physical check-ups for astronauts are complicated, with the
candidates hospitalized for a month to receive comprehensive
check-ups so that any potential diseases can be excluded, Su
said.
The restrictive selection criteria are necessary since the
astronauts have to deal with various difficult problems on the
mission, he said.
The chosen astronauts experienced three stages of tough
training: basic theory, special skills and flying operations, Su
said.
In the first stage, the candidates most show excellent knowledge
of basic theories of space flight such as flight dynamics,
astronautics and astronomy, as well design principles of rockets
and spacecraft.
In the second stage, astronauts must grasp all facets of the
structure and composition of the spaceship and its operational
modes.
In the third stage, astronauts are required to enter the
simulators similar to the real spaceship to take flights including
the complete process from launch through entering orbit until
returning and landing.
(China Daily October 17, 2003)
