Three Chinese astronaut connected with Bulgarian youth via video link on Saturday, sharing their experiences in space exploration and answering questions about their life aboard the Tiangong space station.
Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong, and Wang Haoze, members of the Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceflight mission, fielded 15 questions from Bulgarian participants aged 8-22 during the event "Talking with Astronauts." Topics ranged from comfort in spacecraft and spacesuits to daily activities like eating and working on the space station.
"My question is what motivated you to endure long and hard trainings and take risks to go into the unknown space and get away from home and family?" a Bulgarian student asked.
"I had a long-cherished dream of making space odyssey for my country. This was the biggest motivation for me to pursue this career. When I was a child, every time I looked up at the starry sky, I would wonder what's in the space. 21 years ago, my country successfully launched its first manned spaceship, and the dream of flying into space has taken roots in my heart since then,"Song said.
"I want to know if it's comfortable to take a rocket into space. Is the space suit heavy? Thank you," asked another Bulgarian student.
"Aboard a rocket, you can feel it vibrating and ascending. After blastoff, you would feel overweight at varying levels. And especially when the spaceship was about to enter the orbit, we suddenly floated, and just a few seconds ago, we were still heavily pressed on the seat. That feeling was fascinating," Wang said.
The event marked several milestone moments, including the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Bulgaria, the 155th anniversary of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS), and the 45th anniversary of Bulgaria's first astronaut Georgi Ivanov's mission.
It featured space science lectures, a quiz, performances, and an exhibition showcasing mock-ups of the Tiangong space station and the Long March 2F carrier rocket.
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, in a letter to the event, emphasized the opportunity to deepen cooperation between the two countries in areas such as cultural exchange, space exploration, and high technology. He highlighted the potential for innovative partnerships to accelerate technological progress and provide opportunities for young people and wished the Chinese astronauts health and their mission a success.
Chinese Ambassador to Bulgaria Dai Qingli noted that China's burgeoning space industry is fostering international collaboration, with over 150 intergovernmental space cooperation agreements signed with more than 50 countries and organizations as of November 2023.
Chinese astronauts engage with Bulgarian youth in space-earth dialogue
