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China's astronauts are often affectionately called "superhuman beings", because they have to meet standards that seem, to lesser mortals, out of this world.

Because of the cramped living conditions in space, they cannot have body odor or bad breath. Those who suffer from chronic sore throats or runny noses will remain Earthbound. Neither can astronauts have ringworm, cavities or scars.

The first two female reserve astronauts, one of whom is likely to go into space on board Shenzhou IX and become China's first female astronaut, have to meet the same criteria as the men, said a senior medical expert from the astronaut selection panel.

But female astronauts have to meet extra conditions that are not applicable in other countries -they must be married and preferably mothers. This is because there are concerns that spaceflight, and the potential exposure to radiation, could harm their fertility.

"We have to act cautiously to protect astronauts, although there is no evidence of harm," Xu Xianrong, director of the People's Liberation Army's Clinical Aerospace Medicine Center in Beijing and a member of the selection panel, said.

Both female reserves were selected according to standards set for astronauts actually piloting a spacecraft.

These standards are stricter than those for a mission specialist, a job that demands less strength and is often allocated to women, Xu said.

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