Hong Kong Astronaut Conducts Tiangong Class from Space Station
HK01 · 1 SOURCESabout 4 hours ago6 MIN
Summary
Hong Kong astronaut Lai Ka-ying (黎家盈) conducted a live Tiangong Class session from China's Tiangong space station on September 9, offering viewers an intimate look at life aboard the orbital outpost. Speaking in Cantonese, she showcased space meals featuring dozens of specialty dishes including Buddha Jumps Over the Wall and Kung Pao Chicken, demonstrated the effects of weightlessness by wringing a wet towel, and revealed her personalized sleep cabin filled with family photos and Hong Kong keepsakes .
Key Points
- Lai introduced a diverse space menu prepared by ground teams, including rice, noodles, bread, and dozens of specialty items such as braised pork, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, Kung Pao Chicken, black pepper beef, and dehydrated vegetables, with astronauts also making their own yogurt
- The space station is equipped with two microwave heating devices including a hot air heating system that can warm meals in under 30 minutes, plus an oven where Lai baked chicken wings, pumpkin, and a golden cake
- Lai demonstrated zero-gravity physics by wringing a wet towel, showing how water clings to the fabric surface instead of falling due to surface tension effects, explaining that astronauts must let towels air dry to avoid scattering water droplets
- The crew performs 1-2 hours of daily exercise on a specialized treadmill with a compression vest and elastic bands, as well as a space bicycle and core muscle training equipment to prevent muscle atrophy in the weightless environment
- Lai's sleep cabin contains children's drawings, clay crafts, family photographs, models of Hong Kong snacks, and a grape plushie gifted by the Hong Kong Police Force, creating what she described as a feeling of never having left Hong Kong far behind
- The space station orbits Earth every 90 minutes, treating astronauts to 16 sunrises and sunsets daily; Lai spots the Greater Bay Area from orbit as a bright point of light at night
Why It Matters
The Tiangong Class connects millions of Hong Kong students and the general public directly to China's space program through a hometown astronaut, inspiring interest in science while demonstrating how technology bridges physical distances. Lai's emotional connection to Hong Kong, expressed through her keepsakes and the Bauhinia clay flower she passed to Commander Zhu Yangzhu, reinforces the city's role as an integral part of national space ambitions and highlights the human side of space exploration .
The Tiangong Class connects millions of Hong Kong students and the general public directly to China's space program through a hometown astronaut, inspiring interest in science while demonstrating how technology bridges physical distances. Lai's emotional connection to Hong Kong, expressed through her keepsakes and the Bauhinia clay flower she passed to Commander Zhu Yangzhu, reinforces the city's role as an integral part of national space ambitions and highlights the human side of space exploration .