LINE

Text:AAAPrint
ECNS Wire

First Chinese female speaks via NASA microphone

1
2015-11-13 16:58Ecns.cn Editor: Feng Shuang

(ECNS) -- A Chinese face debuted for the first time at a NASA press conference last week as a major speaker, arousing curiosity among fellow nationals concerning her path to one of the world's top institutes of astronomy.

Dong Yaxue, a 30-year-old Chinese scientist, spoke at the press conference on November 6 Beijing time as part of the NASA team that announced a finding that the Sun has stripped away atmosphere and water on Mars. The discovery was based on data sent back by NASA's Mars-orbiting MAVEN spacecraft.

Dong told Chengdu Economic Daily that she is lucky to be part of the great quest to explore Mars. She was first hired as a post doctoral candidate to help with data analysis.

As the hometown newspaper dug more into Dong's background, the girl appeared to be just like any other of her peers. As a Chengdu local, Dong's favorite dish is, no wonder, hotpot.

Her high school teacher said she was not a shiny star as a student but proved generally competent. "If she had been a nerd, she would not have reached NASA," said her teacher.

Citing her favorite song, "The Most Shiny Star", Dong said "No words are more romantic than 'the vast starry night sky'.

 

  

Related news

MorePhoto

Most popular in 24h

MoreTop news

MoreVideo

News
Politics
Business
Society
Culture
Military
Sci-tech
Entertainment
Sports
Odd
Features
Biz
Economy
Travel
Travel News
Travel Types
Events
Food
Hotel
Bar & Club
Architecture
Gallery
Photo
CNS Photo
Video
Video
Learning Chinese
Learn About China
Social Chinese
Business Chinese
Buzz Words
Bilingual
Resources
ECNS Wire
Special Coverage
Infographics
Voices
LINE
Back to top Links | About Us | Jobs | Contact Us | Privacy Policy
Copyright ©1999-2018 Chinanews.com. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.