HK Pupils Video Chat With Astronauts On Tiangong

Hong Kong children wanted to know whether the territory can be seen from space and what astronauts do to keep fit, as they joined a video link-up on Friday, between the exhibition centre in Wan Chai and China's new space station.

Astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo took the children on a tour of the Tiangong, showing them where they eat, sleep and work.

"How do astronauts handle their injuries when they get hurt in space?" asked student William Wong, while Kristen Chan in form 2 wondered "is it possible to do sports in the space station?"

The astronauts demonstrated how they exercise during the 25-minute video chat.

Nie, Liu and Tang left earth on board the Shenzhou-12 capsule on June 17. Tang shared with the students his experience of walking outside the space station.

“The word beautiful is not enough to describe what I saw. It’s too beautiful. Looking far beyond the horizons, I could see a rainbow after the rain. On my left hand side was the moon… and on my right was the rising sun. Without the protection of the atmosphere, the burning sun shines in all its splendour,” he said.

Tan Tieniu, deputy director of Beijing's liaison office which helped organise the video chat, said he hoped the event would inspire Hong Kong's young people to dream big.