Students from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions will attend a class given by in-orbit Shenzhou XXIII crew members, including Hong Kong’s first homegrown astronaut Lai Ka-ying, on Wednesday.
As a special session for Hong Kong and Macao students under the Tiangong Class series, the event will take place in China’s Tiangong space station at 9:50 am Beijing time and be beamed to school audiences across the two cities, the Hong Kong SAR government announced on Monday.
The class — organized jointly by the two SARs and the China Manned Space Agency — is expected to run for about an hour and a half. Students can look forward to science lectures, live orbital demonstrations and a chance to express their good wishes and pose questions directly to the astronauts: commander Zhu Yangzhu, pilot Zhang Zhiyuan, and Lai, the mission’s payload specialist.
During the class, Lai is set to participate in in-cabin experimental work and bring her expertise to some science demonstrations.
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A space to watch the class will be set up at Lai’s old school, Tsuen Wan Public Ho Chuen Yiu Memorial College, joined by a delegation of students and educators from Macao.
Meanwhile, education authorities in both cities have encouraged all local primary and secondary schools to arrange for pupils and teachers to tune into the event from their own classrooms.
The session “will be a valuable aerospace science education activity, allowing students to watch live demonstrations of science experiments conducted in the unique environment of space, with a view to enhancing their knowledge of aerospace science and stimulating their interest in learning”, a Hong Kong government spokesperson said earlier in a written announcement.
“Students can also learn from the three astronauts of the Shenzhou XXIII crew, thereby building their aspirations, encouraging them to dare to explore, further cultivating their patriotism and strengthening national identity,” the spokesperson added.
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Separately, as the Mid-Autumn Festival falls on Sept 25, students at Tsuen Wan Public Ho Chuen Yiu Memorial College have put together a letter for their former schoolmate Lai and her Shenzhou XXIII crewmates, sending their warmest holiday wishes to the astronauts, as the trio brace to mark the festival of family reunion from their perch in the sky.
In the letter, students expressed their respect for the astronauts and the ground support teams, along with their hopes for smooth research work and a safe homecoming for the crew.
The Shenzhou XXIII mission lifted off in May, and the three astronauts have since spent more than three months at the Tiangong station. One of the crew is slated to remain in orbit for a full year, while the other two are scheduled to make their return to Earth in November.
Launched in 2021, the Tiangong Class series events have transformed China’s orbiting space station into a high-tech classroom, featuring in-orbit astronauts who take students across the nation on virtual tours of the Tiangong station’s internal environment, conduct live scientific experiments, and host real-time interactive exchange sessions.
The initial class was delivered by three crew members of Shenzhou XII, Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Wang Yaping.
Contact the writer at wanqing@chinadailyhk.com
