Last year, at 00:23 on October 16th, the Shenzhou XIII spacecraft (宇宙飞船) rose into the sky. After flying around the earth for six months, the three astronauts of the Shenzhou XIII mission (飞行任务) returned home on April 16th, 2022. Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu successfully finished China's longest manned (载人的) spaceflight.
Chinese astronauts get difficult training before going to space. The high-G training simulates the environment when the spacecraft takes off. Sitting in a super-fast spinning (旋转) machine, astronauts' face muscles (肌肉) change shape. They cry tears as they spin. Blood can't flow (流动) to their brains properly, causing a lack (缺少) of oxygen (氧气) and even blindness. Astronauts must operate the spacecraft under these conditions.
Another exhausting (使耗尽的) exercise is the underwater training which lasts (持续) seven hours each time. It simulates a weightless environment. Wang Yaping had to wear a 200-kilogram suit and do tasks in 10-meter-deep water without eating or going to the toilet.
When Chinese astronauts do the high-G training, they have a red button on hand. If they feel too sick and can't stand it anymore, they can press it to stop the spinning machine. But for over 20 years since China set up its first astronaut team in 1998, not a single person has ever used it.
