December 7, 2011

— Could a collectible have just outed the names of China's second group of astronauts?



That is the conclusion reached by two international space observers, who found an offer for a postmarked envelope – or "philatelic cover," as collectors refer to it – signed by seven Chinese pilots. The group included two women, one of whom may soon become China's first female astronaut, or "taikonaut," to reach space.



"The names of the military pilots selected in 2010 to form China's second group of taikonauts – which have been a closely guarded secret for the last 18 months – appear to have been released [as the result of] a possible philatelic blunder," said Tony Quine, an Isle of Man-based space memorabilia collector and contributing writer for the British Interplanetary Society's "Spaceflight" magazine.



Quine worked together with Russian space industry expert Igor Lissov to confirm the cover's autographs since finding it listed for sale on a German space dealer's website two days ago. The two also elicited the assistance of Chinese space enthusiasts to verify the signatures' translation.



The stamped envelope was postmarked in China on May 10, 2010, the same day that the country's space program reportedly appointed the candidates to its astronaut corps.



While China earlier confirmed that it had indeed selected seven pilots – including two women – for its human space flight program, the nation has yet to release the names of its latest trainees.



Shenzhou seven



The seven names listed on the cover include five men – Zhang Hu, Chen Dong, Cai Xuzhe, Tang Hongbo and Yi Guangfu – and two women, Liu Yang and Wang Yaping.



"Chinese [online] forum sources have helped to verify the names as far as [was] possible from interpretation of the signatures," Quine said.







One of these two women, Wang Yaping (left) and Liu Yang, may be China's first female taikonaut to launch into space. (PLAAF)