China's astronauts say they are ready for longer missions

Buoyed by the recent success of their longest space mission, Chinese astronauts today said they are capable of conducting medium and long-term space missions enduring harsh physical conditions.
"From Shenzhou V to Shenzhou X, we have been laying the foundation for future medium and long-term missions," Nie Haisheng, one of three astronauts who took part in last month's manned space mission conducted a fortnight ago, said.
Interacting with the media for the first time since their return to the earth on June 26, he said, "medium and long-term space missions pose harsher challenges in physical, psychological and engineering knowledge."
The next major step in China's manned space programme will be the launch of a space station around 2020, with China's space explorers increasingly required to undertake longer missions, from several months to one year.

"The three astronauts adapted to gravity on Earth well, with their weight returning to normal before the mission. From mid-July to the end of the month, they will get more rest at a sanatorium for further recovery", Deng Yibing, director of the Chinese Astronaut Research and Training Centre said.
Previous research has shown that human beings in weightless environments usually suffer fluid redistribution, muscle atrophy and a loss in bone density.

Astronauts usually lose weight and suffer orthostatic intolerance, which means they get dizzy when they try to stand up from a lying posture after they return to Earth.
"These experiences and data will help a lot in the improvement of future space missions. Besides mastering how to control a spacecraft, astronauts must receive egress training and learn to conduct complicated experiments." Deng added.

The three will have various medical checks over the next three months to guarantee their health, the state run China Daily reported today.
Nie Haisheng, who is China's most experienced astronaut, having taken part in two space missions, in 2005 and this year, said, "as the time spent in space gets longer, astronauts will face the psychological stress of being confined in a small space for an extended period of time."
But Wang Yaping, China's first astronaut to deliver a lecture from orbit, said the beauty of space was beyond words.
She said she will devote her career to space travel.

"Every scene in space was a first for me, and it is much more beautiful than I had imagined," Wang said.
The longest stay in space so far has been 438 days by Russian astronaut, Valeri Polyakov.
So far, China's manned space programme has conducted 11 missions, including five manned missions.
Ten Chinese astronauts have been to space, including two women.
The success of the recent mission means that China is moving a step closer to realising its ambitions in space exploration.
China plans to launch the Tiangong-2 space laboratory around 2015 and an experimental space station in 2018 before the 60-ton multi-module space station scheduled in 2020.