Taikonauts tell of turning somersaults
By Cai Wenjun and Huang Lanlan |
November 4, 2012, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
CHINA'S first woman taikonaut and two male colleagues recently shared some inside stories with university students and a delegation of Shanghai women. They talked about chasing a floating popsicle, competing in somersaults, the advantages of women in space, and the rigorous training for taikonauts.
Liu Yang, the female astronaut, veteran space man Jing Haipeng, and crewmate Liu Wang were in town last Friday for a spectacular touring exhibition. It features the docking of the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft and the Tiangong-1 space lab, the reentry module and other space-related equipment at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum. The astronauts were launched into space aboard the Shenzhou 9 on June 16 from a launch center in northwest China's Gobi Desert.
They returned to Earth on June 29 following the successful docking of the spacecraft and space lab on June 24. They conducted scientific experiments over 13 days.
The exhibition runs through Wednesday.
Q: Why did all the astronauts take so long to emerge from the re-entry module after landing. We saw something that looked like lipstick handed into the module. Did Liu Yang wear makeup?
Jing Haipeng: Astronauts stayed inside for a while because the 13-day trip was a mid- or long-term mission. The body had to adjust to the space environment when we left Earth and readjust to the Earth's atmosphere after we returned. Doctors required us to stay inside for at last 40 minutes to ensure blood circulation, heart beat and fluid distribution was normal back on Earth.
Liu Yang: It was a chapstick. Because it was very hot inside the module, our lips were very dry. I didn't have makeup. It was the heat that turned my face red.
Q: What's the difference between female astronauts and male astronauts?
Liu Yang: Compared with male astronauts, females are more careful in details. Astronauts' long-term stay in the space station in the future will involve a lot of experiments. Females are more scrupulous and have stronger endurance if they are confined in a small place for a long time. However, females are weaker physically, which is also an important factor in space.
Q: What was the funniest experience?
Jing Haipeng: Once I was eating a bag of juice - yes, eating and not drinking because the liquid density increases a lot in space. Some juice jumped out of the bag and I had to catch it with my mouth. Catching flying juice was really fun.
Liu Yang: Lots of interesting things can happen in weightlessness. You may see your partner having a meal while standing on his head. We once had a competition on how many somersaults each could make in space. I lost but both men did more than 10.
Q: How do you become an astronaut? Is training very tough?
Liu Yang: All of us were pilots and then selected as astronauts. So far China has recruited two batches of astronauts, 14 in the first batch and seven in the second. Everyone trains very hard. There is no holiday. We live like high school students preparing for the tough college entrance examination. There is a schedule every day and we must do all the training and study in line with schedule.
Jing Haipeng: I felt very sorry for my family, as all my time is spent on my work. I didn't even have time to visit my mother while she was hospitalized for eye surgery.
Q: Many youngsters dream of being an astronaut. Can a person who needs glasses become an astronaut?
Jing Haipeng: First of all, we three were all pilots before becoming astronauts. Have you ever see a pilot wearing glasses? Yes, it's a pity good eyesight is a must for an astronaut, but I hope that one day you can join us as a technical expert.
Q: How did you spend 'leisure' time in space?
Liu Yang: Actually, we didn't have much leisure time, and there was always a lot of work. Once we were surprised by an elaborate bag containing a doll bear, a photo album, red cord and many other interesting items that could help us relax after work. I tied two kinds of Chinese knots with red chord.
Q: Did you use twitter or microblog?
Liu Yang: We did not have Internet access but we could make video calls. With the development of technology, we can share interesting food and experiences in space with fans on microblogs in the future.
Liu Yang, the female astronaut, veteran space man Jing Haipeng, and crewmate Liu Wang were in town last Friday for a spectacular touring exhibition. It features the docking of the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft and the Tiangong-1 space lab, the reentry module and other space-related equipment at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum. The astronauts were launched into space aboard the Shenzhou 9 on June 16 from a launch center in northwest China's Gobi Desert.
They returned to Earth on June 29 following the successful docking of the spacecraft and space lab on June 24. They conducted scientific experiments over 13 days.
The exhibition runs through Wednesday.
Q: Why did all the astronauts take so long to emerge from the re-entry module after landing. We saw something that looked like lipstick handed into the module. Did Liu Yang wear makeup?
Jing Haipeng: Astronauts stayed inside for a while because the 13-day trip was a mid- or long-term mission. The body had to adjust to the space environment when we left Earth and readjust to the Earth's atmosphere after we returned. Doctors required us to stay inside for at last 40 minutes to ensure blood circulation, heart beat and fluid distribution was normal back on Earth.
Liu Yang: It was a chapstick. Because it was very hot inside the module, our lips were very dry. I didn't have makeup. It was the heat that turned my face red.
Q: What's the difference between female astronauts and male astronauts?
Liu Yang: Compared with male astronauts, females are more careful in details. Astronauts' long-term stay in the space station in the future will involve a lot of experiments. Females are more scrupulous and have stronger endurance if they are confined in a small place for a long time. However, females are weaker physically, which is also an important factor in space.
Q: What was the funniest experience?
Jing Haipeng: Once I was eating a bag of juice - yes, eating and not drinking because the liquid density increases a lot in space. Some juice jumped out of the bag and I had to catch it with my mouth. Catching flying juice was really fun.
Liu Yang: Lots of interesting things can happen in weightlessness. You may see your partner having a meal while standing on his head. We once had a competition on how many somersaults each could make in space. I lost but both men did more than 10.
Q: How do you become an astronaut? Is training very tough?
Liu Yang: All of us were pilots and then selected as astronauts. So far China has recruited two batches of astronauts, 14 in the first batch and seven in the second. Everyone trains very hard. There is no holiday. We live like high school students preparing for the tough college entrance examination. There is a schedule every day and we must do all the training and study in line with schedule.
Jing Haipeng: I felt very sorry for my family, as all my time is spent on my work. I didn't even have time to visit my mother while she was hospitalized for eye surgery.
Q: Many youngsters dream of being an astronaut. Can a person who needs glasses become an astronaut?
Jing Haipeng: First of all, we three were all pilots before becoming astronauts. Have you ever see a pilot wearing glasses? Yes, it's a pity good eyesight is a must for an astronaut, but I hope that one day you can join us as a technical expert.
Q: How did you spend 'leisure' time in space?
Liu Yang: Actually, we didn't have much leisure time, and there was always a lot of work. Once we were surprised by an elaborate bag containing a doll bear, a photo album, red cord and many other interesting items that could help us relax after work. I tied two kinds of Chinese knots with red chord.
Q: Did you use twitter or microblog?
Liu Yang: We did not have Internet access but we could make video calls. With the development of technology, we can share interesting food and experiences in space with fans on microblogs in the future.
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