The Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) receives Chinese Astronauts on their campus

Two Chinese astronauts visited NUST yesterday to share their experiences in the development of space science. The event attracted scores of staff and students, from NUST and the University of Namibia, as well as school children.

ABOVE: Hon Dr Becky Ndjoze-Ojo, Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Training and Innovation (fifth from left), and HE Zhang Yiming, Chinese Ambassador to Namibia (seventh from left), flanked by the astronauts and senior management from the ministry and NUST. OTHER IMAGES: Scenes from the event.

Dong is the record-holder of the longest stay in space (33 days), amongst all Chinese astronauts, whilst Yang is the first Chinese female to go to space.

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The astronauts engaged the audience and shared their in-depth ‘out of this world’ experiences. The students were keen to know the benefits of going to space and Namibia’s role in China’s missions.

The Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Training and Innovation, Hon Dr Becky Ndjoze-Ojo, addressed the gathering and spoke highly of the ongoing collaborations between the two countries.

An agreement centred of the development of space technology was signed in 2000, and this resulted in the construction of a Swakopmund-based tracking station which monitors Chinese manned space vehicles.

Space technology is applied in services such as weather forecasting, remote sensing and satellite transmissions.