Peking University, October 18, 2021: On October 16, three astronauts on Shenzhou-13 spacecraft lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at Gansu Province. Wang Yaping, along with mission commander Zhai Zhigang and Ye Guangfu, will spend 183 days in the Tianhe Space Station module, marking China's longest mission yet. She will become China's first female astronaut to board the Tiangong space station, and the first woman to conduct a spacewalk. However, Wang is no stranger to making history.
A Pekinger in space
There is more to Wang Yaping than meets the eye. For one, the astronaut is a 2016 Masters Graduate of PKU School of Journalism and Communication, and a current PhD candidate of PKU School of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences. To celebrate PKU's 120th Anniversary in 2018, Wang was invited as a alumna representative to share her experience as a Pekinger braving the galaxies. "I hope that more Pekingers can give their attention to spaceflight, dedicate their efforts towards space discovery, and make their mark in the exploration of that vast and mysterious expanse."
Wang (first from right) attending PKU's 120th Anniversary Ceremony
The nation's beloved science teacher
Wang Yaping also holds the mantle of science teacher. In 2013, Wang was part of the crew for Shenzhou-10's space mission, becoming the second Chinese woman to fly to space. The Shenzhou-10 astronauts delivered China's first ever televised video lecture in orbit, beaming down a live science lesson to schoolchildren onboard the Tiangong 1 space module. With spinning tops and a ball in hand, Wang demonstrated the concepts of weight and mass in a zero-gravity. She also enlisted the help of her colleague Nie Haisheng to show present mass and movement in the microgravity environment of space.
Wang Yaping making a water ball in space
Wang captured the hearts of children and teachers alike with her elegant demeanour and sporting personality. When asked by a Beijing student if she'd seen any UFOs in space during the post-lecture question session, Wang grinned and replied with a twinkle in her eye, "That's really an interesting question. Through the window, we can see the beautiful earth, the sun, the moon and the stars, but we haven't seen UFOs yet."
Wang Yaping swinging a pendulum in space
Wang's lecture sowed the seeds of inquiry in young astrophiles across the country. Upon returning to Earth, many Chinese students wrote to Wang expressing budding interest in space science. Today, scholars in universities go on to pursue related topics, fuelled by their inspiration from Wang's live lecture as teens.
Schoolchildren watching the lecture delivered by Wang Yaping
A mother among the stars
Wang Yaping is also mother to her five-year-old daughter, making this trip a special one. "Whenever my daughter passes the street that holds a photo of the 11 astronauts who went to space, she'll always point out from afar: 'That's my mommy!' Though she's too young to understand what being an astronaut entails, she sees my job as a sacred one, and it makes her proud," Wang noted in an interview with Xinhua News.
Wang and her daughter
On the official send-off ceremony held at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, her daughter sent her off with cheers. Before her departure, Wang and her daughter had set expectations for each other. "I hope she can take good care of herself, her grandma and her grandpa, and study hard," were her words to her five-year-old. In exchange, Wang promised to bring her daughter's gift with her. Wang was also presented an ambitious task: "She wants me to bring back stars for her and her classmates when I return! She asked me to pick a lot so that she could share with her classmates."
"As we are now in outer space, without atmosphere, we can see the stars shine brightly, but they do not twinkle…we do not see the blue sky, but a dark black sky. We can see 16 sunrises and sunsets as we orbit around the Earth every 90 minutes," was Wang's description of life in space in her video lecture. While miles and miles apart from her daughter, cruising in the limitless cosmic expanse, Wang Yaping's heart lies in orbit, revolving around her daughter again, again and again.
Wang's daughter sending off Wang at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center
An astronaut paving the way
The world knows Wang Yaping as the second female astronaut selected to the People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps, the second Chinese woman in space and Colonel in the PLA Air Force (PLAAF). As Wang puts it, "Space doesn't change just because you're a woman. It doesn't lower its thresholds just because women arrive." In preparation for this trip, Wang has amassed over 6000 hours of gruelling training. This pales in comparison to the decades she has spent on the track, underwater, in deserts, on rotating rigs, and in pressure chambers, racking up the experience needed for her job.
Wang having underwater training
As of now, Pekinger Wang Yaping rests atop Tianhe grounds. The nation looks on in anticipation as Wang is expected to hold her second science lesson onboard the space station module. Her daughter awaits her return with the stars in a twinkling, dazzling glory. As for Wang, the astronaut sees it as a special business trip, posting tongue-in-cheek on her Wechat space. Life among the stars isn't new. "They say 'distance makes the heart grow fonder', and it really does. What you see in space will sublimate you – some things in your heart become negligible, like gains and losses; others sentiments grow, like your love and longing for your family and the country."
Wang Yaping's post on Wechat
Writer: Li Wanqi
Editor: Pu Hairui, Amanda Hu
Sources: Xinhua News, CGTN, Peking University (Chinese), CCTV Weibo
