Space dream on course after launch

Astronauts aboard Shenzhou X spacecraft, (from left) Zhang Xiaoguang, Nie Haisheng and Wang Yaping, send their festival regards. Wang Sijiang / For China Daily

On Wednesday, the three astronauts celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival in orbit, eating traditional sticky rice dumplings known as zongzi that were prepared specially for them. It was the first time Chinese astronauts had eaten zongzi in space, according to a source with the manned space program.

The source said the leaf-wrapped dumplings taken into space are small and flat, different from those people usually eat, because it makes it easier for the astronauts to store and heat them.

In a video clip shown on national TV on Wednesday, Wang played with a zongzi leaf in the microgravity environment aboard the spacecraft.

The astronauts also sent greetings from space at 1 pm on Wednesday, wishing a happy Dragon Boat Festival to Chinese around the world. Zhang said they were all feeling well after spending nearly a day in space.

In coming days, the Shenzhou X crew will conduct two space dockings with the unmanned Tiangong-1 space module, one automatic and one manual.

As they orbit the Earth, the crew will educate young people about science.

Wang, the main lecturer, will teach them about motion in a microgravity environment and about the surface tension of liquids. She will also help students understand the concepts of weight and mass and Newton's Laws, giving demonstrations and interacting with students and teachers on Earth.