Mothers of the Stars

We're getting hit with so much space stories, it gets to be a bit numbing. But it's really beginning to look as if these agencies are getting very serious about space colonization. Like with this story; China is now sending mothers into space to determine if there are any effects on their fertility.

They are, of course, in peak physical condition, with the flying skills required of any air force ace. But China's first female astronauts have faced an extra challenge: they had to be mothers to qualify for the country's prestigious space programme.

Two women and five men have been selected as the next generation to go into space, a Hong Kong newspaper reported today, citing an unnamed military source.

Xu Xianrong, an expert at the air force general hospital, said women had advantages as astronauts over men because they were more mentally stable, better able to bear loneliness and had better communication skills.