Chinese astronauts give live science lecture from space station to Hong Kong, Macau pupils
- Pupils from Hong Kong, Macau and various mainland regions such as Guangxi and Sichuan attend hour-long space lecture with three astronauts from Shenzhou 13 crew
- Astronauts perform a variety of experiments, gravity-free exercises and answer questions about living conditions in space
During a rare opportunity to interact with mainland Chinese astronauts in space through a live video lecture on Thursday, 15-year-old student Men Ruihan in Hong Kong asked whether water in space could be recycled.
Astronaut Wang Yaping said the crew had a complete water recycling system while in orbit and demonstrated how to drink the liquid by releasing floating water balls in gravity-free space.
Men was among the hundreds of pupils from Hong Kong, Macau and various mainland regions such as Guangxi and Sichuan to attend the lecture on Thursday, peppering the astronauts from the Shenzhou 13 crew with questions about living conditions in space.
Wang, Zhai Zhigang and Ye Guangfu gave the lecture – organised by the China Manned Space Agency and various other ministries – from the Tiangong space station’s core module, Tianhe.
The team flew off on October 15 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre and are spending six months on the station conducting scientific research.
During the hour-long lecture that was broadcast live by state media, Wang also performed a variety of water experiments, including placing an origami flower creation she and her daughter had made into a floating water ball. In gravity-free space, the flower expanded and “bloomed” in the water.
“We have achieved how a flower blooms in space, this is very beautiful. Seeing this flower reminds me of my daughter,” said Wang, the country’s first female spacewalker.