China Recruits Astronauts: Bad-Breathed Need Not Apply

China’s looking for astronauts for its new space program, but getting the job won’t be easy: Applicants must conform to some 100 specs, including a ban on bad breath, the BBC reports. “Bad body odor will affect fellow colleagues in the narrow confines of a space shuttle," says a doctor at a military hospital. "These astronauts could be regarded as super human beings.”

Cavities, scars, and drug allergies are also banned, along with serious illnesses in the last three generations of the family. A spouse’s permission is required, as is a “pleasant and adaptable disposition.” The program is set to start next year.
(More China stories.)