Chinese astronauts in world record of giving lectures from space station

Published: March 25,2022

By Staff Writer 

Students attend a science lecture conducted by Chinese astronauts from China’s space station at the China Science and Technology Museum in Beijing on March 23, 2022. [Photo by Hu Lanyue/for chinadaily.com.cn]

Chinese astronauts have made a world record of being the first astronauts in the world to conduct science lectures from the space station to students on earth.  On Wednesday, Chinese astronauts Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu conducted a second science lecture to students in different cities in China through live streaming. 

According to the China Manned Space Agency, the students were able to ask questions to the astronauts by means of video call.  The space crew members are said to have performed various experiments at zero-gravity environment exciting the learners to see the difference with earth laboratory experiments conducted at full gravity.  

On Dec 9, 2021, the trio delivered the first live lecture at China’s space station, showing the students their living and working areas at the Tianhe core module and several scientific experiments under zero-gravity conditions, Xinhua news Agency reported. 

The three astronauts went into space onboard the Shenzhou-XIII spaceship and entered the country’s space station on Oct 16, embarking on the country’s longest-ever crewed mission for space station construction.

Since its birth in 1956, China’s space program has gone through several important stages of development. Now it has reached a considerable scale and level. A comprehensive system of research, design, production and testing has been formed. Space centers capable of launching satellites of various types and manned spacecraft as well as a TT&C (Telemetry Tracking and Command) network consisting of ground stations across the country and tracking and telemetry ships are in place. 

A number of satellite application systems have been established and have yielded remarkable social and economic benefits. A space science research system of a fairly high level has been set up and many innovative achievements have been made. And a contingent of qualified space scientists and technicians has come to the fore.

 Since 2013, President Xi Jinping has put space exploration among the core milestones his country needs to advance. On June 11, 2013, Xi attended a see-off ceremony for Chinese astronauts of the Shenzhou-10 space mission at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, where he said that, “The mission’s crew members carry the space dream of the Chinese nation and represent the lofty aspirations of the Chinese people to explore space.”  Xi further said that,  “The space dream is part of the dream to make China stronger. With the development of space programs, the Chinese people will take bigger strides to explore further into space.” 

On January 28, 2022, President Xi said that China’s space programs will help, “”To explore the vast cosmos, develop the space industry and build China into a space power is our eternal dream.” The space industry is a critical element of the overall national strategy, and China upholds the principle of exploration and utilization of outer space for peaceful purposes.