Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei became one of the first laureates of the UNESCO award on Space Science

Almaty. October 30. Silkroadnews - Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei became one of the first laureates of the UNESCO award on Space Science, China Daily reported.
“The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has awarded the UNESCO Medal on Space Science to first Chinese national sent to space, Yang Liwei, and three other prominent international space practitioners during the first edition of the award ceremony,” the report said.
The ceremony was held at UNESCO’s Headquarters in Paris.
“The three other scientific laureates of the 2017 edition are Valentina Tereshkova, the Russian cosmonaut and first woman in space, Arnaldo Tamayo Mendez, the first Cuban in space, and Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata, the first Japanese commander of International Space Station”, the report reads.
As the agency reminded, China has carried out its first manned space mission in October 2003 on the Shenzhou-5 aircraft.
The UNESCO Medal on Space Science, established on June 29, 2017, is awarded by the UNESCO director-general to honor prominent scientists, public figures and organizations that have contributed to the development of space science in the spirit of UNESCO’s priorities.