Astronaut to hold class for students from space
By Yang Jian |
June 11, 2013, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
China will today send three astronauts, including the country's second female astronaut, to work on an orbiting space lab module for 15 days, as it works to become only the third country to set up a permanent station in space.
The Shenzhou-10 spacecraft will be launched from a remote site in the Gobi desert in China's northwest Gansu Province at 5:38pm, Wu Ping, spokeswoman for China's manned space program, told a press conference yesterday.
Once in orbit, the spacecraft will dock with the Tiangong-1, or the Heavenly Palace, a trial space laboratory module. The astronauts will carry out various experiments and test the module's systems, Wu said.
Wang Yaping, the only female member in the crew, will also play the role of a teacher when she takes a "class" of middle and elementary school students from the orbit, Wu said.
"I am looking forward to feeling and exploring the magical and beautiful space along with the young people, so let's meet at the space classroom," Wang said yesterday.
She will enlighten students about motion in a microgravity environment, surface tension of liquid, and help them understand weight, mass and Newton's Laws, said Wu.
Wu said the time of the lesson will be decided according to the mission's schedule and technical conditions during the assembly of the Shenzhou-10 spacecraft and Tiangong-1. The lessons will be broadcast across the country.
Wang, 35, a former air force pilot, will become the second Chinese woman in space after Liu Yang, who was on board the Shenzhou-9 mission in 2012.
The astronauts - Nie Haisheng, Zhang Xiaoguang and Wang Yaping - spoke to the media at the launch center yesterday.
The team will be led by the 49-year-old Nie, a major general in the People's Liberation Army, whose first voyage into space was onboard the Shenzhou-6 spacecraft in 2005.
Nie will take charge of the manual docking mission with the orbiting Tiangong module. "The mission is longer, has more experiments and involves more risks compared to my last Shenzhou-6 mission. So the responsibility is heavier," Nie said.
Zhang, 47, a senior colonel, will mainly assist Nie to pilot the spacecraft and the assembly with the module as well as conduct more manual dockings. He will also film the living and working conditions of the crew.
Heart of curiosity
Apart from giving lessons to students, Wang will also monitor the condition of the craft, carry out experiments as well as take care of the other two colleagues. "I will carry a heart of curiosity as well as the imagination to fully experience the zero-gravity life in the space," Wang said yesterday.
Nie said the crew will team perfectly because their personalities were quite complementary. "I am serious and a perseverant man, while Zhang is open and likes to joke. Wang is a bit inward but rather careful," Nie said.
The living and working quality of the crews will be improved compared to the previous Shenzhou-9 mission when three astronauts stayed for 12 days in the space module, the spokeswoman said.
"We have prepared more waste collection bags for the astronauts and added more varieties of food besides improving the tastes. The working schedule has also been adjusted to allow them to have more time to rest," Wu said.
One of the objectives of the crews will be to change the floors of the Tiangong module and replace old equipment.
However, the mission is also fraught with risks because the Tiangong module that was launched in September 2011 has nearly served its time.
Moreover, some microorganisms may have made the sealed module their home, filled with oxygen that could change the environment in the module.
The objectives of the new mission include further assessing the performance of the docking system, the combination's capabilities in supporting life and work, and the abilities of astronauts on the job.
Research on astronauts' abilities to adapt to the environment in the space module will also be conducted, in addition to tests on repairing orbiting spacecraft and other key technologies necessary for developing a space station, according to the spokeswoman.
The Shenzhou-10 spacecraft will be launched from a remote site in the Gobi desert in China's northwest Gansu Province at 5:38pm, Wu Ping, spokeswoman for China's manned space program, told a press conference yesterday.
Once in orbit, the spacecraft will dock with the Tiangong-1, or the Heavenly Palace, a trial space laboratory module. The astronauts will carry out various experiments and test the module's systems, Wu said.
Wang Yaping, the only female member in the crew, will also play the role of a teacher when she takes a "class" of middle and elementary school students from the orbit, Wu said.
"I am looking forward to feeling and exploring the magical and beautiful space along with the young people, so let's meet at the space classroom," Wang said yesterday.
She will enlighten students about motion in a microgravity environment, surface tension of liquid, and help them understand weight, mass and Newton's Laws, said Wu.
Wu said the time of the lesson will be decided according to the mission's schedule and technical conditions during the assembly of the Shenzhou-10 spacecraft and Tiangong-1. The lessons will be broadcast across the country.
Wang, 35, a former air force pilot, will become the second Chinese woman in space after Liu Yang, who was on board the Shenzhou-9 mission in 2012.
The astronauts - Nie Haisheng, Zhang Xiaoguang and Wang Yaping - spoke to the media at the launch center yesterday.
The team will be led by the 49-year-old Nie, a major general in the People's Liberation Army, whose first voyage into space was onboard the Shenzhou-6 spacecraft in 2005.
Nie will take charge of the manual docking mission with the orbiting Tiangong module. "The mission is longer, has more experiments and involves more risks compared to my last Shenzhou-6 mission. So the responsibility is heavier," Nie said.
Zhang, 47, a senior colonel, will mainly assist Nie to pilot the spacecraft and the assembly with the module as well as conduct more manual dockings. He will also film the living and working conditions of the crew.
Heart of curiosity
Apart from giving lessons to students, Wang will also monitor the condition of the craft, carry out experiments as well as take care of the other two colleagues. "I will carry a heart of curiosity as well as the imagination to fully experience the zero-gravity life in the space," Wang said yesterday.
Nie said the crew will team perfectly because their personalities were quite complementary. "I am serious and a perseverant man, while Zhang is open and likes to joke. Wang is a bit inward but rather careful," Nie said.
The living and working quality of the crews will be improved compared to the previous Shenzhou-9 mission when three astronauts stayed for 12 days in the space module, the spokeswoman said.
"We have prepared more waste collection bags for the astronauts and added more varieties of food besides improving the tastes. The working schedule has also been adjusted to allow them to have more time to rest," Wu said.
One of the objectives of the crews will be to change the floors of the Tiangong module and replace old equipment.
However, the mission is also fraught with risks because the Tiangong module that was launched in September 2011 has nearly served its time.
Moreover, some microorganisms may have made the sealed module their home, filled with oxygen that could change the environment in the module.
The objectives of the new mission include further assessing the performance of the docking system, the combination's capabilities in supporting life and work, and the abilities of astronauts on the job.
Research on astronauts' abilities to adapt to the environment in the space module will also be conducted, in addition to tests on repairing orbiting spacecraft and other key technologies necessary for developing a space station, according to the spokeswoman.
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