Hugo Rifkind Hugo Rifkind

Shared Opinion | 8 August 2009

It’s the blood, muck and goo that makes space travel so interesting

issue 08 August 2009

It’s the blood, muck and goo that makes space travel so interesting

Should one wish to become a taikonaut in the Chinese space programme (and one does not, fervently, but one is just saying), here follows a short list of the things that Chinese military doctor Shi Bing Bing will be checking that one absolutely does not have.

Bad breath. Body odour. A family history of serious illness in the past three generations. Scars that ‘may burst’. An unpleasant disposition. An unenthusiastic wife. Drug allergies. Ringworm. Indeed, probably any sort of worm. Tooth cavities. Athlete’s foot. Haemorrhoids. Excessive snot. Yep, he’s quite the body-fascist, is ‘Chandler’ Bing Bing. (One also has claustrophobia and vertigo. One wouldn’t have a hope.)

Across the East China Sea, meanwhile, a Japanese chap by the name of Koichi Wakata has just returned from the International Space Station.

Comments

Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months

Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.

Already a subscriber? Log in