Space talk with taikonauts

Editor's note: In a video call from the Tiangong space station on Friday, three Chinese astronauts on a three-month mission in outer space - Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo - talked to Hong Kong students about living in zero gravity. Yang Liwei, China's first taikonaut to go into space, also joined a live call from Beijing, fielding questions from the curious crowd.

A student from Scientia Secondary School in Ho Man Tin asks:

Can you exercise in the space station? Can you show us?

Nie: Sure. We must work out to reduce the effects of the weightless environment. The station has a lot of exercise equipment, such as a space bicycle and treadmill. While running on the machine, we need to attach our upper body to it to keep our balance. Bicycling is a cardio exercise that helps us build muscle strength. In space, we can ride bicycles not only with our legs, but also with our hands while fastening our legs to the ceiling of the station. We also do tai chi for stretching.

While speaking, Nie rode a bicycle in two positions to show how a space workout is done.

A student from St Paul's Co-educational College in Mid-Levels has a question:

Where does water come from in space, and how do astronauts drink it?

Liu: Water is produced in two ways: One is by adding pressure to the cold air to extract condensed water, and the other is by distilling water from urine. In both, we need to remove ionic pollutants and organics, and add some salt before the process to reclaim water.

We use water for three main purposes. One is to refill spacesuits, which have lots of tubes to hold water to reduce the heat. The water can also be used to produce oxygen, and it is also for drinking.

To drink water in space takes a special technique. For an astronaut who loves "kung fu tea", water is precious. Let me make a cup of tea, and show you how to drink it in space.

I need to gently squeeze the bag to make a floating water ball of just the right size, and then I can slowly drink it when the ball is floating steadily.

A student from the Chinese Foundation Secondary School in Siu Sai Wan asks:

Can you see satellites outside the space station? Do the stars look the same in space as they do on Earth?

Liu: I feel very lucky to be living in such a good time when generations of workers have raised the level of our national aerospace industry to where it is now. We have seen the grandeur of Earth and magnificent scenes during two spacewalks. It's like a sci-fi movie. The most unforgettable moment was when we opened the hatch. "Beautiful" does not even come close to describing what we saw.

Looking at the horizon, the rainbow was colorful; on the right, the sun had just risen. Without the atmosphere, the sunlight was radiant. Looking down, the blue planet was at our feet. We saw the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea; we saw the smoke of Afghanistan, the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang, the Taklamakan Desert, and the Himalayas. We also saw Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong, as well as the capital, Beijing.

Soon, the night fell, and the sky was full of stars. From the ground, we see stars blinking because of the atmospheric refraction. But it is different in space.

I hope people from Hong Kong will join our team of astronauts in achieving the Chinese dream and the space dream.

A student from Clementi Secondary School in North Point asks:

Why did you become an astronaut? What do you think is the coolest thing about the job?

Yang: At first, I wanted to be a pilot. After realizing that dream, I took an interest in aerospace science. Luckily, China was launching manned space projects at that time. So, I devoted myself to aerospace out of my passion and the nation's need, and the country has made progress in economy, technology and overall strength.

I came to Hong Kong many times and talked to a lot of students. From Shenzhou 5 to Shenzhou 12, astronauts have shown numerous work and day-to-day scenarios during each mission. Their achievements are all very cool. For me, the coolest moment is when I displayed the national flag and greeted all Chinese people as the first Chinese astronaut going into space.

China Daily