"I do 600 push-ups, 600 sit-ups and thousands of jump ropes a day, which have become my 'standard.'" Not long ago, when the Shenzhou <> crew made its debut, astronaut Jing Haipeng's words impressed many netizens.

What kind of physical qualities do you need to be an astronaut? In order to go to the sky smoothly, what physical training should astronauts carry out on the ground? After entering space, how do astronauts exercise in weightless environments?

Only if the body is good enough can it adapt to the special and complex environment of space, and can it bear the heavy and arduous flight and on-orbit tasks

"My dream is to become an astronaut, how can I make it come true?" At the "Tiangong Classroom" held on October 2022, 10, students on the ground asked questions to the Shenzhou 12 astronaut crew.

Shenzhou 14 astronaut Chen Dong replied: "If you want to become an astronaut, you need to go through strict selection and training. I believe that as long as you are firm in your ideals, study seriously, and exercise well, you will definitely have the opportunity to join the glorious astronaut team in the future, so that the seeds in your heart will finally bear sweet fruits in space. ”

Astronauts are among the riskiest and most challenging professions in the world. Every astronaut has undergone extremely strict selection and scientific and comprehensive training.

In the current astronaut selection principles, excellent physical fitness is the foundation and prerequisite. Only if the body is good enough can it adapt to the special and complex environment of space, and can it bear the heavy and arduous flight and on-orbit tasks.

How is physical fitness measured? Similar to the general physical examination, candidates are also subject to clinical examinations. The difference is that candidates also participate in a unique selection program, "aerospace environment endurance and adaptability" testing.

According to experts from the Chinese Astronaut Scientific Research and Training Center, this project requires subjects to spin rapidly on a centrifuge to test the body's overweight endurance.

After a few rounds, there are not many candidates left who can pass the physical fitness assessment. Physical fitness is only one major category in the selection criteria, in addition to psychological quality, educational background, professional experience, etc. are very important measurement factors. In essence, astronaut selection is a process of "selecting the best of the best".

Astronaut training is a long journey that goes through constant challenges, tests, inspections and assessments

After joining the astronaut brigade, the state of astronauts can be summarized in one sentence as "flying or preparing to fly". Astronaut training is a long journey through constant challenges, tests, inspections and assessments, including "overweight endurance" training. As long as it is not retired, the training cannot be terminated.

In the training of the space station, out-of-cabin training is the most important item, and it is also a high-intensity and high-load training. Astronauts have to simulate the cabin scene in underwater training on the ground, wearing 200 kilograms of underwater training clothes, training for six or seven hours, can not eat, can not go to the bathroom, but also to overcome underwater resistance and pressure, control body posture, complete various underwater actions, use various equipment, the load is very large.

Cumulatively, an astronaut's underwater training can reach dozens of times and hundreds of hours of training. According to astronaut Tang Hongbo's recollection, when he first started underwater training, he "couldn't even hold chopsticks" when he ate after training; Astronaut Nie Haisheng lost 4 kilograms after an underwater training. It can be seen that astronaut training is physically consuming.

Wang Yaping, as the first female astronaut in China, also mentioned the requirements for strength in underwater training. There are objective physiological differences between men and women, Wang Yaping's body size is not as strong as male astronauts, wearing the same extravehicular spacesuit, to overcome the pressure to bend, you need to do a lot of movement, or use twice the strength. To this end, Wang Yaping insists on improving upper body strength, increasing arm strength, and assiduously practicing holding shot puts, pull-ups, push-ups, barbells and other events. When the masseur told Wang Yaping that her arms were thicker, she was particularly happy, which showed that the training was effective, "When training, I would even compare muscle blocks with other astronauts." Wang Yaping said.

The space station has a special "exercise area" and is equipped with a variety of fitness equipment and equipment

Many astronauts enjoy physical exercise.

"I'm older, why am my fitness so good? In addition to the desire to perform tasks motivates me, exercise is the best way for me to stay in good shape. Nie Haisheng said that he usually likes to play basketball, table tennis and badminton.

Wang Yaping prefers collaborative sports, such as basketball, badminton doubles, and athletics relay races.

When flying into space and entering the Chinese space station, astronauts still maintain the habit of exercise. And when the pictures of space life are released one after another, people find that the faces of astronauts look "fat"? In fact, this is not fat, but an uncomfortable reaction caused by blood rushing in a weightless environment.

China's astronauts have been in orbit for up to five or six months, and long-term weightlessness will lead to a decrease in human bone density and muscle atrophy. Huang Weifen, chief designer of the astronaut system, introduced that in space, the probability of astronauts having sleep disorders, fatigue, infections, gastrointestinal diseases and other discomfort problems and emergency medical problems will increase.

Therefore, astronauts must cope with the impact of weightlessness through active exercise, and can also ensure the advancement of various on-orbit missions.

The Chinese space station has set up a special "exercise area" and is equipped with a variety of fitness equipment and equipment for astronauts' daily exercise. The support team also tailored space exercises for astronauts.

Looking back at a set of life pictures in Tiangong, it can be seen that Nie Haisheng "floated" to the middle of the cabin, picked up a puller similar to a fitness elastic band, and made various stretching movements. Reach out lightly, and you can also use the cabin ring to get a handsome "pull-up". Next to it, two other astronauts are also working out, pedaling space bikes for a while, and running on the space treadmill the next.

In the fitness area of China's space station, common fitness equipment is basically available. Every day, astronauts "unlock" various fitness postures. According to experts from the Chinese Astronaut Scientific Research and Training Center, China's space exercise equipment is composed of "three major and three small", "three large" refers to space bicycle power meters, space treadmills and resistance exercise devices, and "three small" refers to tension belts, grip strength and respiratory muscle exercisers.

Among them, the space bicycle power meter helps astronauts exercise the upper and lower limbs; The resistance exercise device that goes up with the Mengtian experimental module can help astronauts perform basic physical exercise movements such as rowing, squats, and deadlifts.

Unlike treadmills and other equipment on the ground, the space treadmill has more restraints and shock absorption equipment, and there are no seats on the space bike... These devices are carefully prepared by scientific and technological personnel to help astronauts exercise strength and reduce the impact of weightlessness.

With the advancement of the mission, scientific researchers will also observe and monitor the astronauts' physiological indicators at any time, make timely adjustments to the fitness program, and provide intimate guidance for the astronauts' exercise in orbit.

Reporter Liu Shiyao