Pioneer's tip: smell the roses
The first Chinese man to have gone into space said he hoped astronaut Yang Liwei took time to stop and smell the roses during his historic voyage.
Taylor G. Wang was a member of the Space Shuttle Challenger's seven-man crew that completed a week-long mission in April 1985. The flight made the US citizen, who was born on the mainland but fled shortly after the communist revolution, the first Chinese person to orbit the Earth.
Professor Wang, who teaches engineering at Tennessee's Vanderbilt University, said: 'My advice to the Chinese astronaut is to smell the roses. This is an incredible opportunity.'
But he also said Mr Yang carried the nation's hopes and dreams. 'Don't lose face for Chinese people all over the world,' he warned.
Speaking to the South China Morning Post by telephone from the US, Professor Wang described what Mr Yang might be feeling during his flight. 'In the first few minutes during lift off, you feel like there is something twice your weight sitting on your chest. It is very difficult to breathe ... A few minutes later as you approach orbit, you begin to relax and the impact of zero gravity begins to kick in,' he said.
When weightlessness took effect, Mr Yang's legs would start shrinking while his torso would stretch as blood rushed to his upper body, Professor Wang said. But as soon as he went into orbit, he said Mr Yang should feel ecstatic.
'You look out the window and see that the Earth is absolutely beautiful. You see sunrises and sunsets every 45 minutes,' he said.
Dr Wang said the inherent dangers would not be foremost in the astronaut's mind on the mission.
'Once you get to this high place, you are at peace. You don't think of the risks.'
But Professor Wang added that he would be 'constantly thinking of what I had to do'.
A successful mission would be more significant psychologically than technologically, he said.
'This is very important for Chinese. We invented the rocket but did not have the means to use it. Now, China not only has the technology but also the economic ability. The nation can now stand together with the world powers.'
