Part Of Three-Person Crew Aboard China's Tiangong-1 Outpost

China launched its first teacher into space this week, and the 33-year-old educator has presented a lesson to Chinese elementary and middle school students from the Tiangong-1 outpost.

The teacher is Wang Yaping, one of three crewmembers who launched aboard the Shenzhou-10 space vehicle from China's Gobi desert Tuesday. She taught the lesson, which was broadcast live on China's CCTV, early in the crew's 12-day stay aboard the station. Her two fellow crewmembers acted as cameramen during the lessons.

The other astronauts will perform manual docking exercises and conduct scientific experiments.

Wang prepared a lecture about motion in microgravity and the surface tension of liquid. She also taught students about Newtons Law, and the concepts of weight and mass, according to a report in the English language version of the People's Daily Online.

The latest Chinese manned space flight is the fifth such mission during the past decade, as China scrambles to catch up with Russian and U.S. space programs. Observers believe China is working towards mounting a manned mission to the moon in coming decades.

Wang's other duties during the mission are to monitor the condition of the spacecraft, conduct other experiments, and "taking care of fellow crew members," according to the website.

(Tiangong-1 image from Chinese TV animation)

FMI: www.cnsa.gov.cn/n615709/cindex.html?