学进去

Students attend a science lesson given by astronauts on board China’s Tiangong space station on Wednesday, March 23, 2022. Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu, the members of the Shenzhou XIII, which was launched (发射) on October 16, appear on television screens watched by millions of students across China.

During the 41-minute lesson, the astronauts did four experiments to show physical phenomena(现象) only possible in a weightless environment, such as “liquid crystallization” and “a water bridge”. In one experiment, Wang used a toy of Bing Dwen Dwen, the mascot of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games, to show how objects fly in Tiangong. They invited the young viewers to do similar experiments to see the differences between space and land environments.

Before closing the lesson, the astronauts answered questions from students. The questions covered the life and work in space, such as how to take care of the skin and whether hot water was available.

Wednesday’s event marked the third time Wang had taken part in a space lesson. In June 2013, she gave the nation’s first space lesson to over 60 million Chinese students in Shenzhou X. It made China the second country, following the United States, to have given a lesson to schoolchildren from space.

In early December, Wang gave the country’s second space lesson from the Tiangong station. The astronauts showed viewers how they lived and worked inside the space station.

“These science lessons can encourage students to explore the world of science and technology.” Shi Yi, a physics teacher, said after today’s activity, “Encouraged by China’s spaceflight achievements, my school has built a space science laboratory and the teachers give lessons about space exploration.”