The third batch of astronauts will enter the Tiangong Space Station. How are Chinese astronauts selected?

On May 30, 2023, the successful launch of the Shenzhou 16 manned spacecraft once again made astronauts a hot topic among the public.

So, how are astronauts selected? What are the characteristics of astronauts selected by my country? And what are the characteristics of the three-person crew of the latest Shenzhou 16?

First of all, astronauts are a general term for various personnel who operate manned spacecraft or work in space after special training.

Astronauts have many highlights due to the special nature of their work, its scarcity and the various difficult challenges they face. This profession receives widespread attention and respect from people all over the world. They can be said to be the true pride of the country and national heroes.

According to the different tasks and responsibilities that astronauts undertake during flight , astronauts are divided into:

1) Space pilot : responsible for maneuvering and controlling the flight of manned spacecraft in space;

2) Flight Engineer : responsible for manned spacecraft operation, equipment maintenance, inspection and extravehicular activities in space;

3) Payload specialist : Responsible for the management, operation, maintenance, space science experiments and technical tests of payloads in space.

The selection and birth of China's first batch of astronauts

In 1998, 14 people were selected from more than 1,500 outstanding air force pilots and gathered in Beijing Aerospace City to become China's first batch of astronauts. On July 3, 2003, after being evaluated by the Manned Spaceflight Engineering Astronaut Selection Committee, all 14 astronauts were able to independently perform space flight missions and were awarded the third-level astronaut qualification. Since then, my country has had its first generation of astronauts.

They were once the pride of the Air Force , with at least 600 hours of flying time, and some as much as 2,000 hours. They had made many contributions in the Air Force and were the best who emerged from layers of selection.

Na participated in and ensured the training of the first batch of astronauts, and witnessed their transformation from pilots to qualified astronauts after a lot of hard work. During the training period, the candidate astronauts must undergo various training subject assessments, training phase assessments, and training completion assessments and evaluations. These comprehensive assessments are the factors that determine whether the candidate astronauts can obtain astronaut qualifications. Astronaut training generally includes more than 100 subjects in eight categories : physical training, space environment adaptability training, psychological training, basic theory training, space professional technical training, flight procedures and mission simulation training, survival and life-saving training, and large-scale joint exercises.

On October 15, 2003, the first flight astronaut team, consisting of astronauts Yang Liwei, Zhai Zhigang and Nie Haisheng, appeared at the Chinese manned space launch site with the sacred mission of conquering space. Finally, Yang Liwei, as the first flight astronaut, boarded the Shenzhou V spacecraft and took on this milestone space flight mission. This was the first public appearance of Chinese astronauts. The world was paying attention and the nation was proud of it.

The picture comes from Tuchong.com

Although five of the first astronauts retired before they could fly into space, their contributions to China's space program are still worth remembering.

The selection and birth of my country's second batch of astronauts

I participated in the preparation for the second batch of astronauts and made a small contribution to the verification of various data of the female astronauts.

The selection of the second batch of reserve astronauts was launched in May 2009, and 7 astronauts were finally selected, including 2 female astronauts. The male candidates are all active fighter pilots of the Air Force, and the female candidates are active transport pilots. Most of the 7 astronauts have performed major flight missions such as earthquake relief and military exercises in the Wenchuan earthquake. They have excellent flying skills, good psychological qualities, and clinical medicine and aerospace medicine that meet the basic requirements of astronauts.

The second batch of selection has significant characteristics:

1. Two female astronauts were selected for the first time

The two female astronauts are Liu Yang and Wang Yaping, who undertook tasks such as manned rendezvous and docking, space extravehicular activities, and space teaching in space. Practice has proved that female astronauts can hold up "half the sky" in space and have unique advantages in space.

II. The space station mission is a key link between the past and the future

Unlike the first batch of astronauts, the second batch of astronauts caught up with a good era. The rapid development of my country's aerospace technology has greatly increased the frequency of space launch missions, especially during the space station construction phase. The second batch of astronauts all participated in the launch missions.

The selection and birth of my country's third batch of astronauts

I also personally participated in the selection of the third batch of astronauts.

The selection of the third batch of candidate astronauts started in May 2018. 18 qualified candidate astronauts (including one female) were selected from about 2,500 candidates, including seven space pilots, seven space flight engineers and four payload specialists.

The first two batches of astronauts were all from the Air Force pilot team. They were all pilots, but they had to be "all-rounders". The third batch of candidate astronauts added two categories, space flight engineers and payload specialists, based on space pilots . It can be said that in terms of professional fields and in all aspects, the selection of the three batches is more comprehensive .

Among them, space pilots are selected from active pilots of the army, navy and air force, space flight engineers are selected from engineering and technical personnel engaged in aerospace engineering and related fields, and payload experts are selected from scientific researchers engaged in space science research and application.

Selection of my country's fourth batch of reserve astronauts

The selection of the fourth batch of reserve astronauts will start in September 2022. A total of 12 to 14 reserve astronauts will be selected, including 7 to 8 space pilots, 5 to 6 space flight engineers and payload specialists, of which about 2 will be payload specialists. The selection of reserve astronauts is expected to be completed in about one and a half years, and for the first time, payload specialists will be selected in Hong Kong and Macao .

Let's wait and see.

The crew list and characteristics of Shenzhou 16

The crew of Shenzhou 16 is composed of the first batch of Chinese astronauts and the third batch of Chinese astronauts. They are the combination with the "largest age difference" in history.

Jing Haipeng : He is one of the first batch of astronauts in China. He is 57 years old this year. He served as the astronaut of Shenzhou VII, the commander of Shenzhou IX and Shenzhou XI. He is the first Chinese astronaut to go into space three times. He served as the "commander" again in this mission , and also achieved the Chinese miracle of four tours of the sky .

Gui Haichao : 36-year-old professor and doctoral supervisor of the Department of Spacecraft Technology, School of Astronautics, Beihang University. His main research areas are spacecraft dynamics, guidance, navigation and control technology. He became China's " first space payload expert" and the first non-military astronaut. He is mainly responsible for the on-orbit operation of space science experimental payloads.

Zhu Yangzhu: From the PLA Strategic Support Force University of Aerospace Engineering , he served as a "flight engineer" in this mission.

After the completion of the Chinese space station, Chinese astronauts will be on duty at the space station on a regular basis. Each batch of astronauts will have a mission period of 6 months. This year, in addition to the Shenzhou 16, there will be three astronauts from the Shenzhou 17 to perform the flight mission. The selection work has been completed.

China's space industry is advancing by leaps and bounds, and will naturally need more and more astronauts. Young people who are interested in space will naturally have more and more opportunities to become a real astronaut and travel in space in the future.

Here, let us wish the Shenzhou 16 mission a complete success, and that China's manned space program will achieve greater success!

This article is a work supported by Science Popularization China Starry Sky Project

Author: Hanna

Reviewer: Liu Yong (Researcher at the National Space Science Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

Produced by: China Association for Science and Technology Department of Science Popularization

Producer: China Science and Technology Press Co., Ltd., Beijing Zhongke Xinghe Culture Media Co., Ltd.