Young Pakistani student writes to Chinese astronaut, receives reply

For the first time in Pakistan, a young student indulged in a conversation with a Chinese astronaut. Aasiya Ismail, a 17-year-old student at Islamabad Model School for Girls, had the chance to ask a Chinese astronaut about the ceremony marking the return of Pakistani seeds from the Chinese space station which took place at the COMSTECH Auditorium in the Federal capital. 

At the ceremony marking the return of Pakistan’s seeds from the Chinese space station, Ismail read a message she wrote to the Chinese astronaut. In her letter, Ismail stated, “I have been a science student for about ten years now. For me, science is a subject that falls within the category of art."

The 17-year-old also asked numerous questions related to space life and the Pakistan-China space breeding project. Ismail was recommended to watch the live broadcasting program Tiangong Classroom, which can address many of her inquiries.

He claimed that the Shenzhou 12 and 14 missions both carried Pakistani flags and planted seeds, “truly showcasing the profound friendship between China and Pakistan.”

“I’m so happy to receive your letter and get to know you are interested in science”, Liu Boming said. Boming is a veteran astronaut who carried out manned missions twice, and conducted China’s first spacewalk.

The experience inspired him to improvise a line of a poem, “overlooking the homeland, the same global village, looking across the Sun and the Moon, the same space city”.

“Among them, the most memorable one to me is the extravehicular activity, which allowed me to see the earth from a larger and wider perspective,” Boming recalled.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by DIVA Magazine Pakistan (@divamagazinepakistan)

In 2008, Boming and his colleagues Mr. Zhai Zhigang and Mr. Jing Haipeng were sent to space. He launched into space once more in 2021 and was among the first astronauts to be stationed in the Chinese Space Station. Boming worked for 13 years, from the age of 42 to 55, to become a part of China’s first human-robotic arm combo, and it was on this space mission that he achieved his greatest desire.

It has been reported that seven kinds of medicinal plant seeds were brought to space in China's Shenzhou 14 mission.  

In the end, Boming encouraged Ismail to pursue her scientific journey and play an active role in Pakistan-China cooperation.