The daily necessities prepared for the taikonauts on Shenzhou VI are expensive. Even a pen costs 1,000 yuan (US$122), higher than the monthly salary of most Chinese urban citizens.
According to Li Yongzhi, chief doctor of the China Space Center, two kits of daily articles were prepared for each taikonauts, Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng.
Their pens are expensive because they are equipped with a pressure device which ensures they will work in a zero-gravity environment, Li said.
Other articles in the kits include oral cleansing "chewing gum," tooth cover made of germ-free gauze, edible toothpaste, anti-radiation cream, medicine and notebooks.