As China gets ready to launch some taikonauts (every country must have a unique name for their space going people) into space the government has decided that women will be included as two of the seven to venture into microgravity. But there are a few factors that helped them decide which women were qualified to go into space. The names will not be released until just before the June launch.
The women just have to conform to the following:
- Be married
- Have given birth naturally
- Have no scars
- Be free of body odor
- Have good teeth
There were perfectly good explanations for all of this.
Pang Zhihao, deputy editor-in-chief of the magazine, said: “They even must not have decayed teeth because any small flaw might cause great trouble or a disaster in space.”
Pang said a scar might open and start bleeding in space…
Of course, that’s reasonable and there is no need to reproduce the quote about disqualifying those with body odor. But what about having given birth naturally and being married?
Astronauts must be married and have given birth naturally because that ensures their body and mental condition are mature enough.
You can’t blame them for wanting to make sure their taikonauts are mentally and physically fit. Since there aren’t any other ways to determine this marital and parental status are the best methods. After all, there’s no crying in space.
Source: China Daily via El Reg / Image: Collect Space
