Chinese women in space
In 2012, China became the third nation to send women into space with its own space program, after the Soviet Union/Russia and the United States, 49 years after the first female cosmonaut, Valentina Tereshkova.
History
Following the successful piloted flight of Shenzhou 5 in October 2003, China announced plans to send a woman into space as well. Gu Xiulian, president of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF), told a gathering that she proposed that women, too, should be trained for space missions after China's first piloted space trip.
Initially, the criteria for women to be selected, included having been married, having had a child, having no bad health problems.[1] The marriage and having had children criteria were later said to have been dropped.[2]
On 16 June 2012, Major Liu Yang was the first Chinese woman launched into space aboard the Shenzhou 9 with two male counterparts to the Chinese space station Tiangong-1. Liu was not drawn from the fighter pilot cadre, but instead is a veteran PLAAF transport pilot. The mission took off at 6:37 p.m. (1237 GMT) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on the edge of the Gobi Desert.[3] She launched on the 49th anniversary of the launch of Vostok 6, the first spaceshot of a woman, Valentina Tereshkova.[4]
On 16 June 2013, the 50th anniversary of the launch of Vostok 6, two women were in space, one of them Chinese, the second Chinese woman in space, Wang Yaping, aboard Tiangong-1 on the 3-man Shenzhou 10 mission, and Karen Nyberg on the 6-man Expedition 36 aboard the International Space Station.[5] The mission had lifted off on 11 June 2013.[6]
List of Chinese women in space by mission
- These women are Chinese who have flown into space
| Name | Mission | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liu Yang | Shenzhou 9 | 2012 | Also first female Chinese mission to the Chinese space station |
| Wang Yaping | Shenzhou 10 | 2013 | Second Chinese women in space, and second one to Tiangong-1 space station |
List of Chinese female astronauts
- These women are in the Chinese astronaut corps and may or may not have flown into space
| Name | Birth date and death date | Missions | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liu Yang | Shenzhou 9 (2012) | [7] | |
| Wang Yaping | Shenzhou 10 (2013) | [7] | |
Firsts and records
| First | Date | Mission | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Chinese woman in space | 16 June 2012 | Shenzhou 9 | Liu Yang | [8] |
| First Chinese woman in orbit | 16 June 2012 | Shenzhou 9 | Liu Yang | [9] |
| First Chinese woman aboard a space station | 18 June 2012 | Shenzhou 9 | Liu Yang | Liu Yang goes aboard Tiangong-1 space station. |
| First Chinese woman to spacewalk | N/A | N/A | none | |
| First Chinese woman to command a mission | N/A | N/A | none | |
| First Chinese woman to go on multiple missions | N/A | N/A | none | |
| Title | Data | Taikonaut | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Longest time in space (single mission) | 15 days Shenzhou 10 |
Wang Yaping | |
| Longest time in space (cumulative) | 15 days (Shenzhou 10) | Wang Yaping | |
| Shortest time in space (single mission) | 13 days Shenzhou 9 |
Liu Yang | At least 1-mission (zero-missions excluded) |
| Shortest time in space (cumulative) | 13 days (Shenzhou 9) | Liu Yang | At least 1-mission (zero-missions excluded) |
| Longest time on EVA (single spacewalk) | N/A | none | |
| Longest time on EVA (cumulative) | N/A | none | |
| Shortest time on EVA (single spacewalk) | N/A | none | At least 1-spacewalk (zero-spacewalks excluded) |
| Shortest time on EVA (cumulative) | N/A | none | At least 1-spacewalk (zero-spacewalks excluded) |
| Most space missions | 1 mission | ||
| Least space missions | 1 mission | At least 1-mission (zero-missions excluded) | |
| Most EVAs | N/A | none | |
| Least EVAs | N/A | none | At least 1-spacewalk (zero-spacewalks excluded) |
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Mark MacKinnon (11 June 2012). "Want to be a female taikonaut in China? You better smell good, and no scars". Globe and Mail.
- ↑ "Exclusive interview: Astronauts selection process". CCTV. 16 June 2012.
- ↑ "June 16, 2012 7:07 AM PrintText China sends its first woman into space". CBS News. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
- ↑ Clara Moskowit (15 June 2012). "China Unveils Astronaut Crew, 1st Female Spaceflyer, for Saturday Launch". Space.com. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
- ↑ Ken Kremer (16 June 2013). "Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova; 1st Woman in Space 50 Years Ago! Ready for Mars". Universe Today.
- ↑ Andy Wong (11 June 2013). "Shenzhou 10 Launch: Chinese Spacecraft Blasts Off With Three Astronauts On 15-Day Mission". Huffington Post.
- 1 2 Xuyang Jingjing (11 June 2012). "Shenzhou-9 set for launch". Global Times.
- ↑ Srinivas Laxman (16 June 2012). "Shenzhou-9 Launches into Space With China's First Woman Astronaut". Asian Scientist.
- ↑ Jason Davis (16 June 2012). "Shenzhou-9 reaches orbit". Planetary Society.
- ↑ Jonathan Amos (18 June 2012). "Shenzhou-9 docks with Tiangong-1". BBC News.
References
- "Chinese women astronauts set to fly by 2010". Xinhua News Agency. 26 July 2005.
- "China starts training its first group of women astronauts". People's Daily. 28 July 2005.
- "China's 1st batch of female jet fighter pilots to debut at National Day parade". 2 April 2009.
- "China to put first Chinese woman in space". 9 July 2009.
- "Tao Jiali is first female astronaut candidate". July 2009.