Wang Yaping
Air Force Lieutenant Wang Yaping (王亚平) is one of two candidates who might be selected to become China's first female astronaut in space on the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft.
Wang was born in April, 1978, in east China's Shandong Province. She is the eldest of two daughters. In 1997, she enrolled at the Changchun Air Force Aviation College. Wang Yaping first took to the air in 1998 and subsequently racked up more than 800 flying hours during the next nine years. In 2001, now holding a bachelor's degree in military science, Wang was assigned as a military air transport pilot in Wuhan. Since then, she has carried out many important tasks including military exercises, disaster relief operations following the Wenchuan Earthquake and rain cloud dispersal operations during the Beijing Olympics.
As one of the 7th batch of Chinese female pilots, Wang is trained to pilot four types of aircraft. Her husband is also a pilot.
The Shenzhou 9 spacecraft will be launched in mid June. It was reported earlier that Shenzhou 9’s three-person crew might include a female astronaut, who would subsequently become China's first female astronaut in space. The final decision is about to be made between two candidates.
