To Be An Astronaut In China, You Can’t Have Bad Breath

According to China Daily, China’s criteria for selecting their astronauts is so stringent that it precludes candidates with scars, cavities or even simple bad breath.

Apparently the stench can be a real morale buster when you’re quarantined by the vacuum of space.

The criteria were reportedly leaked by a representative from No 454 Hospital of the People’s Liberation Army, one of five hospitals putting 100 potential Chinese astronauts through 100 grueling mental and physical tests that, if passed, qualify them as “super-human beings” (as one hospital rep puts it). Of course, these gods among men might just floss twice a day and hit the elliptical on the weekends. And eat lots of parsley. That’s a good trick, we hear. [Sina English via Pop Sci]