Two weeks after the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft lifted off, Hong Kong's first astronaut Lai Ka-ying has fully adapted to life in microgravity, according to the latest footage from the Tiangong space station.
The video, released on Sunday, captured Lai alongside mission commander Zhu Yangzhu and crewmate Zhang Zhiyuan working side by side on space science experiments.
Maintaining her signature smile, Lai appeared in good spirits throughout the footage, operating electronic instruments with full concentration in her blue work suit and enjoying cheerful moments with her crewmates.
In one scene, the trio was seen sharing a space meal with laughter at a small table, with a sunflower nearby.
After the footage was released, some social media users noticed that the astronauts' faces appeared slightly swollen, but space experts explained this is a normal "puffy face syndrome" caused by fluid shifts in microgravity.
Without gravity, fluids naturally travel upwards into the astronaut’s face and head, causing a temporary "puffy" appearance, which typically eases as the body adapts and completely resolves within hours to a week after returning to Earth.
It is understood that the Shenzhou-23 crew will conduct over 100 new scientific and application projects, with a focus on space life sciences, space materials science, microgravity fluid physics, aeropspace medicine, and new space technologies.
