Shenzhou-12 crew to tutor Chinese students from space to mark new semester

Photo:CCTV

Shenzhou-12 crew currently boarding China's Tianhe space station core module are ready to share their first lesson from space with Chinese students on Earth in the state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) special program to be aired on Wednesday evening to mark the first day of new semester in China.

Nie Haisheng, the Shenzhou-12 mission commander, is expected to give his speech that is themed "Dressed in blue with red embroidered on the chest," while his fellow crew members Liu Boming to lecture on "Ocean of stars are always where we are headed," and Tong Hongbo on "We are always ready to put on feitian armor when the country is calling for duty," according to the program arrangement the CCTV published on Wednesday.

In a special PE lesson, the three taikonauts will also perform Taichi Kongfu some 400 kilometers above Earth in the orbiting Tianhe spacecraft together with students on Earth, according to the CCTV.

In the CCTV show, Nie will present a group picture of Chinese astronauts' team as well as a flute he carried to space, Liu will show young students around their space villa - the Tianhe space station core module -- via a Vlog, and Tang will try to "drink tea with chopsticks," as well as show off his space plant of a sweet potato.

Yang Liwei, the country's first astronaut and director of China Manned Space Engineering Office, will also share his thoughts and give a speech on "Chinese people come to space, for the peace and advancement of all mankind."

This will be the second time that a taikonaut has given a lesson from space, following a first by Shenzhou 10 crew member, female taikonaut Wang Yaping, who beamed down live from space to 330 elementary and middle school students in Beijing, when she was in space onboard the nation's Tiangong-1 space lab module in 2013.

More than 60 million students and teachers also watched the televised broadcast from around China, according to the state-run news agency Xinhua.