AE-eNews

Three-time Space Shuttle astronaut Sandra Magnus and China's first woman astronaut Liu Yang shared their experiences in space with Chinese students during a five-day International Astronautical Congress in Beijing in September 2013.

About 800 students from Chinese primary and middle schools, as well as universities attended the event, asking questions of the two women astronauts.

Magnus, who earned her MS degree from the Georgia Tech School of  Materials Science and Engineering, is the Executive Director of the American Institute of Astronautics and Aeronautics (AIAA) and serves on the GT AE School Advisory Council.  She commented that (astronauts share a) "special bond of seeing our planet from space and having this very unique experience - a special group to belong to."

Ms. Liu Yang flew her first space mission in June 2012 and she is the first Chinese woman astronaut.  Magnus said she expects Liu Yang will go on to have many more space flight experiences.  Magnus also praised the progress China has made in their space program in a decade.

The woman astronaut dialog was sponsored by the AIAA and the Chinese Society of Astronautics.

Link to a news video from CCTV - a national Chinese news channel similar to CNN:http:// http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OarFSyTq_Qc