Video: China's First 'Space Teacher' Could Be Next Out-of-This-World Star
Last week, Wang Yaping became China's second female astronaut after Liu Yang to launch into space as part of Shenzhou-10's three-member crew. Today, Wang delivered China's first video lecture from Tiangong-1 space station, becoming the nation's first "space teacher."
In a live CCTV broadcast this morning, Wang performed a variety of zero-gravity physics experiments using water, tops, balls, pendulums, and other basic accessories. The 41-minute lecture was balanced by questions from nearly 330 primary school students from an auditorium at the High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China in Beijing.
"We can see Earth through our window and see the sun rise and the sun set, but so far I've not seen any UFOs," she quips.
The space lecture, co-hosted by the Ministry of Education, is regarded as a perfect opportunity to promote science and technology education among Chinese students. Over 60 million students and teachers across China were expected to watch the morning livecast.
Shenzhou-10 is China's fifth manned space mission. In October 2003, China became the third country, after the United States and the Soviet Union, to independently send its astronauts to space.
"Outer space is deep and has numerous mysteries. The exploration is limitless and let us work together in this regard," concluded Zhang Xiaoguang, one of Wang's fellow crew members, at the end of the lecture.
Watch a recap of Wang Yaping's space lecture below: