On Dec. 10, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced the list of names of 18 astronauts who will take part in the Artemis moon-landing program. US Vice President Mike Pence, who is also chairman of the National Space Council, introduced the 18 astronauts at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The astronauts, half of whom are women, will soon commence training for the Artemis moon-landing program.
One of them is 47-year-old male astronaut Kjell Lindgren, who was born in Taipei on Jan. 23, 1973 to a Taiwanese mother and a Swedish father. He emigrated with his family to the Midwestern US but spent most of his childhood in the UK. After graduating from senior high school, he was admitted to the US Air Force Academy, where he majored in biology with a minor in Chinese and received a bachelor of science degree in 1995. He gained a master of science degree from Colorado State University in 1996 and a doctorate of medicine from the University of Colorado in 2002. In 2007 he received a master of public health from the University of Texas Medical Branch, where he completed his residency in aerospace medicine the following year.
Lindgren was chosen to be a NASA astronaut in 2009 and served as a flight surgeon for the STS-130 space shuttle mission. He joined the Expedition 44/45 mission on July 22, 2015 and stayed on the International Space Station for 141 days before returning to Earth on Dec. 11 of the same year. He is the first astronaut to have been born in Taiwan.
Photo: NASA 照片: 美國太空總署
Two other NASA astronauts with connections to Taiwan are Taylor Wang and Leroy Chiao.
Wang was born in Jiangxi Province, China in 1940. In 1952 he moved with his parents to Taiwan, where he attended the Refresher Substitute Elementary School (today’s Jhong-Jheng Elementary School), followed by senior high school studies at the Affiliated Senior High School of National Taiwan Normal University in Taipei, after which he moved to Hong Kong. He completed a seven-day space flight on the Challenger space shuttle from April 29 to May 6, 1985.
Chiao is a Chinese American engineer and former astronaut. While working for NASA, he lived on board the International Space Station for six months. His father, Chiao Tsu-tao, was born in Shandong Province, China and graduated from the Affiliated Senior High School of National Taiwan Normal University and Cheng Kung University’s Department of Chemical Engineering. His mother, Cherry Chiao, was born in Qingdao City in Shandong. They married in Taiwan and moved to the US in the 1950s, and Leroy was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Photo: NASA 照片: 美國太空總署
(Translated by Julian Clegg, Taipei Times)
美國國家航空暨太空總署十二月十日公布「阿提米絲」登月計畫的十八名太空人名單。兼任國家太空委員會主席的美國副總統麥克·彭斯在佛羅里達州甘迺迪太空中心介紹十八名太空人，當中半數為女性。他們將為「阿提米絲」計畫展開訓練。
其中一名四十七歲的男性太空人林其兒，於一九七三年一月二十三日出生於台北市，其母親為台灣人、父親為瑞典人，隨家人遷居美國中西部，大部分的童年時光則在英國度過。他高中畢業後考進美國空軍學院，主修生物、副修中文，一九九五年取得學士學位。一九九六年取得科羅拉多州立大學碩士學位，二○○二年又獲得科羅拉多大學醫學士學位。二○○七年取得德州大學醫學分部公共衛生碩士學位，翌年完成太空醫學住院醫師訓練。
Photo: NASA 照片: 美國太空總署
林其兒在二○○九年入選為太空總署太空人，曾任「STS-130」太空梭任務航空軍醫；二○一五年七月二十二日，參與遠征「44/45」任務，在國際太空站待了一百四十一天，同年十二月十一日回到地球，是史上首位在台灣出生的太空人。
與台灣相關的太空總署太空人還有王贛駿與焦立中。
王贛駿一九四○年出生於中國江西省，一九五二年隨父母到台灣，在高雄讀進修代用國小（今中正國小），高中就讀於台北師大附中，後移居香港。他一九八五年四月二十九日至五月六日乘坐挑戰者號太空梭進行了為期七天的太空飛行。
焦立中為美籍華裔工程師、前太空人，於太空總署服役期間曾駐守國際太空站六個月，他的父親焦祖韜博士出生在中國山東省，畢業於台灣師大附中、成功大學化工系；其母朱青筠博士出生於山東青島市，兩人在台灣結婚，一九五○年代移居美國，在美國威斯康辛州密爾沃基市生下焦立中。
(自由時報)
Step into any corner of Turkiye, and you’ll likely encounter the iconic “Evil Eye,” known as “nazar boncu?u” in Turkish. This striking blue glass ornament is shaped like an eye with concentric circles of dark blue, white, and light blue. While its name in English suggests something threatening, it’s actually a charm designed to ward off misfortune. The origins of the nazar boncu?u can be traced back to ancient Mediterranean and Middle Eastern traditions. The word nazar comes from Arabic, meaning “gaze,” while boncu?u translates to “bead” in Turkish. Central to the nazar boncu?u’s mythology is the idea that
A: Wow, Les Miserables Staged Concert Spectacular is visiting Taiwan for the first time. B: Isn’t Les Miserables often praised as one of the world’s four greatest musicals? A: Yup. Its concert is touring Taipei from tonight to July 6, and Kaohsiung between July 10 and 27. B: The English version of the French musical, based on writer Victor Hugo’s masterpiece, has been a huge success throughout the four decades since its debut in 1985. A: The musical has never toured Taiwan, but going to the concert sounds like fun, too. A: 哇，音樂劇《悲慘世界》紀念版音樂會首度來台巡演！ B: 《悲慘世界》……它不是常被譽為全球四大名劇之一嗎？ A: 對啊音樂會將從今晚到7月6日在台北演出，從7月10日到27日在高雄演出。 B: 這部法文音樂劇的英文版，改編自維克多雨果的同名小說，自1985年首演以來，在過去40年造成轟動。 A:
Some 400 kilometers above the Earth’s surface, the “International Space Station” (ISS) operates as both a home and office for astronauts living and working in space. Astronauts typically stay aboard the station for up to six months and engage in groundbreaking research projects in various fields, such as biology, physics and astronomy. These projects help scientists understand life in space and contribute to advancements that benefit people on Earth. The ISS has experienced significant growth since construction began in 1998. The station’s design and assembly represent an extraordinary international collaboration among Canada, the European Union, Japan, Russia and the United States.
A: While hit musical Les Miserables’ concert tour kicks off, South Korean drama Squid Game 3 will be back at the end of this month. B: New Taiwanese dramas The World Between Us 2 and Zero Day Attack have also gained attention. A: I heard that Zero Day Attack is a story about the Chinese Communist Party’s People’s Liberation Army trying to attack Taiwan by force. B: The drama’s subject is so sensitive that it has sparked a lot of controversy in society. A: I just hope that such a horrible story will never happen in
RSS