CGTN America: China's First Female Astronaut on Tiangong Space Station is Making History
Shenzhou-13 will be China's longest mission in space and the most experienced astronaut on board the space station is female. 41-year-old Wang Yaping is the first woman to serve on China's Tiangong space station.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CGTN America releases "China's First Female Astronaut on Tiangong Space Station is Making History"
Shenzhou-13 will be China's longest mission in space and the most experienced astronaut on board the space station is female. 41-year-old Wang Yaping is the first woman to serve on China's Tiangong space station. During her six-month stay, she will become China's first female spacewalker. The other crew include Zhai Zhigang, the mission commander, and Ye Guangfu who travels into space for the first time.
"Apart from the tasks, we also hope to do more space science education, to bring space closer to the general public," said Wang. It is her second mission as a taikonaut – China's word for astronaut, derived from "tàikōng," which is outer space in Mandarin.
As an experienced long-distance runner, Wang may be well-suited for her marathon mission in space. "Female astronauts are sharper and more delicate doing space tasks with better communication skills," said Pang Zhihao, a retired researcher from the China Academy of Space Technology. Pang told Chinanews.com that women metabolize magnesium better in space than men and have better estrogen levels. This, he said, makes them more suitable for life in space.
To prepare for this mission, Wang logged over 6,000 hours of training to perform tasks like docking a spacecraft to the orbital lab and controlling a robotic arm. The crew will conduct many experiments, do at least two extravehicular activities (EVAs), or spacewalks, and remotely dock a spacecraft with the Tiangong station.
Wang is also a military pilot and a mother. Before she left Earth, Wang and her five-year-old daughter pledged to do two things. "I promised to collect the stars for her. She wants to share them with her classmates," Wang laughed.
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