Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) Deputy Director General for Space Science and Technology Dr. Gay Jane P. Perez delivered an inspirational message during the ASEAN Students’ Talk with Taikonauts on 01 November 2022 at Shangri-La at the Fort, Bonifacio Global City.
In June 2022, China successfully launched the Shenzhou-14, with three of its Taikonauts—Mr. Chen Dong, Ms. Liu Yang and Mr. Cai Xuzhe—to spend half a year in space aboard the Tiangong Space Station.
The event aimed to inspire students to pursue a career in space by giving them an opportunity to interact with the Shenzhou-14 Taikonauts via a live cast from the space station.
Read the full message from PhilSA Deputy Director General Perez below:
PHILIPPINES
As delivered
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Students’ Talk with Taikonauts
01 November 2022
Statement
Delivered by Dr. Gay Jane P. Perez,
Deputy Director General of Space Science Technology, Philippine Space Agency
Madam First Lady of the Philippines, Her Excellency Liza Araneta-Marcos,
Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Philippines, His Excellency Ambassador Huang Xilian,
Councillor Xei Yonghui,
Director Joyce Andaya from the Department of Education,
Students and esteemed guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good afternoon!
In a few minutes, we will be witnessing a very exciting moment where students from the Philippines and other ASEAN member states will be speaking to Taikonauts aboard the Tiangong Space Station.
Imagine being in a spacecraft that is traveling at a speed of about 8 km/s and at a height five times that of an aircraft’s cruising altitude, where you can go around the world 16 times in a day and not just fly through the clouds, but see these clouds being parts of rainbands that constitute a much bigger weather system, such as a cyclone or typhoon and witness its genesis and intensification. All of these, of course, happening while you are “floating” in zero gravity.
This is the “day in a life” of humans in orbit and such exhilarating experiences will be shared by Taikonauts to our students this afternoon.
Young minds are curious and imaginative. And space offers this limitless possibility of pushing the boundary of knowledge, exploring the unknown, and creating new technologies and innovations along the way. We congratulate the People’s Republic China for the significant strides it’s making as a space leader and for creating opportunities of cooperation in the region.
May this occasion then serve as inspiration to our students to pursue their dreams to explore the vastness of space. There are many concrete ways these dreams can turn into reality. Looking up, advanced telescopes help us understand better other planetary bodies and give us insights on the origin of life and the universe as a whole. Looking down, satellites in orbit are monitoring our very own planet Earth and providing us with information that guides our policy and actions toward attaining sustainable development and improving people’s lives, especially in light of the changing climate.
The Philippine Space Agency is here to support our young learners as we envision a Filipino nation bridged, uplifted, and empowered through the peaceful uses of outer space.
Once again, a pleasant afternoon everyone.
Emcee of the ASEAN Students’ Talk with Taikonauts.
[L-R] Live feed of Chinese taikonauts Mr. Cai Xuzhe, Mr. Chen Dong, and Ms. Liu Yang aboard the Tiangong Space Station.
PhilSA Deputy Director General for Space Science and Technology Dr. Gay Jane Perez delivered her inspirational message in the ASEAN Students’ Talk with Taikonauts.