简体中文
China formally started selecting the third-batch of astronauts on Monday, announced Yang Liwei, deputy director of the China Manned Space Engineering Office and China's first astronaut to go into space.
The work will be organized by the China Manned Space Engineering Office with three selection phases included.
A total of 17 to 18 candidates, both male and female, will be selected for the third batch and are going to participate in the country’s manned space exploration plan after training.
Eleven Chinese astronauts took an oath in honor of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Astronaut Group.
Pilots, spaceflight engineers and payload specialists are all target candidates. They will be picked from in-service pilots in the air force and research and technical personnel from relevant departments, institutions as well as universities.
Compared to the first two selections, the standard for being an astronaut for the third one is much lower in terms of both identity and physical condition, indicating that more ordinary people will have the opportunity to take part in space exploration.
Previous two selections
China started its selection of the first-batch astronauts in October 1995, from fighter plane pilots and attack plane pilots in the Chinese Air Force.
The selection set basic requirements both physically and mentally.
The candidates were required to have a height between 1.6 meters and 1.72 meters and were expected to weigh between 55 kilograms and 70 kilograms. They were often pilots with a cumulative flight time of over 600 hours and excellent flight performance records. Candidates were also required to go through exams such as balancing and bearing capacities in low pressure and microgravity. In addition, they were also required to get at least a junior college degree and Class A for three consecutive in their physical examinations.
Firmness and dedication were also essential.
Through layers of rigorous screenings and tests, the candidates scaled down from thousands to 14, with the average age of 42. The elimination rate was as high as 99 percent.
The world’s third astronaut group, consisted of these 14 members, including Yang Liwei and was formally established in December 1997. It was approved by the Central Military Commission, and January 5, 1998 was marked as the group's birthday.
The second-batch selection started in May 2009, and seven were picked, two of whom were female. They were also made up of pilots from the air force with an average age of nearly 10 years younger than the first batch.
For Chinese astronauts, missions are always more important than life. Click here to see life-threatening moments they went through during their missions.
(CGTN)
