“Tiangong Lecture” by Shenzhou 13 astronauts, Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping, Ye Guangfu, had its global livestream yesterday afternoon and over 10,000 local secondary and primary students were visibly fascinated by the one-hour live class from over 300 kilometres from our planet.
The Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) invited 64 schools involving around 170 students to the Macau Science Centre to take part in the extraordinary class, while other students were watching the livestream at their respective schools.
Wang, the nation’s first female astronaut, introduced the work scene on the “Tiangong” (“Celestial Palace”) space station – the nation’s first long-term space station 340 and 450 kilometres above Earth – such as the sleeping area, the bathroom area and training equipment. The three astronauts also demonstrated a cell biology experiment under a microgravity environment and the liquid surface tension phenomenon.
During the interactive part of the lecture, there was a question-and-answer session for students from Beijing, Hong Kong, Nanning in Guangxi, Macau, and Wenchuan in Sichuan to learn more about being an astronaut.
One of the local students asked whether the astronauts can use the internet to receive emails. Ye explained that they cannot directly receive emails but on holidays they are able to video-call their families and watch videos. He added that during their leisure time they read novels, watch movies, and listen to music. He underlined that at night they are able to watch TV and are fascinated by the channels available. Other students asked whether they can walk or turn around, how they drink water and if they have oxygen in space inside the space station.
A local secondary school student, surnamed Wu, told reporters after the class that it was a rare opportunity to be able to talk to the astronauts. Wu pointed out that she was able to increased her scientific knowledge, especially when Ye explained how waving can help them turn their bodies.
Another secondary school student, surnamed Cheong, told reporters that he liked the experiment part the most as he could really see theories, which he learnt in physics class, in action.
‘So amazed by the live class’
“I was so amazed by the live class given by three astronauts in the space station,” said Wong Ging Pui, a senior secondary school student from Tong Nam Middle School.
“Can you astronauts watch television programmes from around the world?” “Can you surf on the Internet in the space station?” “Can we send you emails?” Wong raised a series of questions via video link to the astronauts on behalf of Macau students.
When asked why he raised the questions, Wong said he was very curious whether astronauts kill time in space in the same ways as people normally do on Earth.
During the class, students learnt about the living and working environment of the space station and watched experiments related to cell growth, human body movement and liquid surface tension in the weightless environment.
“I learnt a lot about space as we rarely touch the topic at school,” Wong said. “The physics phenomena are also very interesting.”
Woo Ka Jyut, a student from Santa Rosa de Lima Secondary School, said she was most interested in the water “ball” experiment. “I didn’t know bubbles could stay inside water ‘balls’ in space.”
Woo said she has had a dream of becoming an astronaut ever since childhood. “China’s first astronaut Yang Liwei is my idol,” she added.
After hearing about the negative impacts of the space environment on human bodies, Wong expressed his admiration for the astronauts. “Their devotion is worth learning by us all.”
Éloïse Vassort Sanches, a student of Zheng Guanying Public School, said the astronauts are “really great” people because they have to stay in space for six months and face high risks.
The three Chinese astronauts entered space aboard the Shenzhou-13 spaceship, and entered China’s space station on October 16, embarking on the country’s longest-ever crewed space station construction mission.
Students attending yesterday’s live class by the three astronauts from the nation’s first space station wave the Macau SAR and national flags. Photo: DSEDJ
Local secondary school students, among them Wong Ging Pui (center) and Éloïse Vassort Sanches (right), ask the three Shenzhou 13 astronauts questions via videolink at the Macau Science Centre in Nape yesterday. Photo: DSEDJ
