英语新闻丨Tiangong science lecture aired for students

The Shenzhou XVI crew members gave their first science lecture on Thursday afternoon from the orbiting Tiangong space station to students around the globe.

9月21日下午，神州十六号航天员乘组在天宫空间站为地球的学生们带来了第一堂科普课。

In the first part of the 48-minute lecture, livestreamed worldwide by China Media Group, mission commander Major General Jing Haipeng, spaceflight engineer Colonel Zhu Yangzhu and the mission’s science payload specialist Professor Gui Haichao greeted the students and showed them the living and work quarters as well as the cutting-edge scientific apparatus inside the Mengtian science module. They also shared their experiences in space.
天宫课堂时长48分钟，由中央广播电视总台向全球直播。指令长景海鹏、航天飞行工程师朱杨柱、载荷专家桂海潮同学生们问好，并向他们展示了梦天实验舱中的生活工作场景及前沿科技设备。乘组成员也分享了自己在太空的经历。

The crew then conducted several experiments to show physical phenomena in the unique environment inside the space station.
随后，乘组成员通过几个实验展示了空间站特殊环境下的物理现象。

In one experiment, Zhu and Gui used ping-pong paddles and water balls to display the effect of liquid surface tension in orbit. In another experiment, the two astronauts lit a candle to show how a flame takes shape in a microgravity environment.
第一个实验中，朱杨柱和桂海潮用乒乓球和水球展示了液体表面张力在太空中的表现。另一个实验中，两名宇航员用点燃的蜡烛展示了微重力环境下火焰的形状。

The astronauts invited students to conduct similar experiments on the ground to observe the differences between those undertaken in space and those on Earth.
两人邀请学生们在地面上完成类似的实验，观察空间实验和地面实验的不同。

They also answered questions from the students on topics including space debris, the impact of weightlessness on astronauts and scientific payloads onboard the massive orbital outpost.
学生们提出了关于太空垃圾、失重对宇航员的影响、大型轨道前哨站上的有效载荷等问题，航天员乘组一一做了回答。

Tens of millions of students across China watched the televised event hosted by the China Manned Space Agency, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science and Technology and other government departments.
此次天宫课堂由中国载人航天局、教育部、科学技术部及其他政府部门播出，全国超千万名学生观看了直播。

Thousands of invited students in Beijing, the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, and Zhejiang, Anhui and Shaanxi provinces took part in the lecture at “ground class venues”.
数千名来自北京市、内蒙古自治区、浙江省、安徽省、陕西省的学生受邀参加了地面课堂。

The main ground venue was a gymnasium inside Beihang University in Beijing, formerly called Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
地面课堂设在北京市北航体育馆，该院校全称为北京航空航天大学。

Gui taught spacecraft systems at the university’s School of Astronautics before he was picked by the Astronaut Center of China for the Shenzhou XVI flight.
在被中国航天员中心选为神州十六号航天员前，桂海潮曾在北京航空航天大学宇航学院教授航天器系统。

More than 2,400 students and teachers from the university and primary and middle schools attended the “ground class” at the gymnasium venue.
来自大学及中小学的2400多名学生齐聚体育馆，参加地面课堂。

“I felt very privileged to be able to hear and watch the lecture given from space, which showed our nation’s power in science and technology. I was most intrigued by the candle experiment,” said Li Baixuan, a student from the Beihang Experimental Primary School. “The astronauts showed us what science and technology can achieve. I wish to fly to space someday.”
北航实验小学学生Li Baixuan说，“我非常荣幸能观看天宫课堂，它展示了我们国家的科技实力。我最感兴趣的是点蜡烛实验，宇航员们向我们展示了科学技术的魅力。我希望自己有一天也能飞上太空。”

Zhao Ziyi, a Beihang University student majoring in aerospace dynamics, said she was thrilled to know more about the science equipment inside the Mengtian module.
北航航空航天动力学专业的学生Zhao Ziyi表示，她了解了更多梦天实验舱的科技设备，感到非常激动。

Zhao said the experiments conducted by the astronauts increased her enthusiasm and strengthened her resolve about space exploration. “As a student of aerospace dynamics, I regard our astronauts as my role models, and I will strive to use my knowledge to serve our motherland,” she added.
Zhao说，宇航员做的实验增强了自己的热情和空间探索的决心。她补充道，“作为航空航天动力学专业的学生，宇航员一直是我的榜样。我一定会以我所学，报效祖国。”

The activity marked the fourth lecture of the Tiangong class series, China’s first extraterrestrial lecture series that aims to popularize space science. It was also the first time the Shenzhou XVI crew members gave a lecture from space.
天宫课堂是中国第一个致力于科普空间科学的外太空系列讲座。此次活动是该系列的第四课，也是神州十六号航天员乘组首次在太空授课。

The astronauts arrived at the space station on May 30 to take over the orbital outpost from their Shenzhou XV peers who had stayed there for six months.
神州十六号航天员于5月30日抵达太空站，从已经在太空站坚守了六个月的神州十五号航天员手中接管轨道前哨站

The journey of the Shenzhou XVI crew is the maiden flight of China’s third generation of astronauts, which includes Zhu and Gui. It is also the first time a Chinese civilian has traveled to space, with Gui the nation’s first nonmilitary astronaut.
神舟十六号的旅程是包括朱杨柱和桂海潮在内中国第三代航天员的首次飞行。这也是中国首位民用航天员首次进入太空，桂海潮成为全国第一位非军事航天员。

As of Thursday afternoon, mission commander Jing’s team had worked 114 days in orbit. The astronauts are in good condition. They are scheduled to live inside the space station for around five months and return to Earth in November, according to the China Manned Space Agency.
截至9月21日下午，航天任务指令长景海鹏的团队已在太空工作过114天。航天员的身体状况良好。中国载人航天局称，他们计划在空间站内居住约五个月，并于11月返回地球。

So far, Chinese astronauts have conducted five space-based science lectures for students. China’s first such lecture was delivered in June 2013 during the Shenzhou X mission.

目前，中国航天员已为学生们进行了五次太空科学课堂。中国首次太空科学课堂是在2013年6月神舟十号任务期间举行的。

Tiangong space station

n.天宫空间站

Mengtian science module

n.梦天实验舱