Month: August 2022

http://j.people.com.cn/n3/2022/0829/c95952-10140960.html The China Manned Space Program Office recently released the latest video on the orbital activities of the crew of the manned spacecraft Shenzhou 14. Astronaut Cai Xu Zhe’s vegetable cultivation on the Chinese space station was highlighted. The experimental module “Qiantian” is equipped with scientific experiment facilities, including a life ecology experiment rack, a biotechnology experiment rack, a scientific glove box and cryogenic preservation equipment, and a gravity change science experiment rack. The Life and Ecology Experiment Rack uses plant seeds, seedlings, plants, small animals, and other individual organisms as experimental samples to conduct space growth experiments on plants and animals such as Arabidopsis thaliana, echinoidea, Drosophila, and zebrafish. In the video, astronaut Xu-Che Tsai was carefully taking care of the plants in “Qiantian”. Before leaving for space, astronaut Cai Xu Zhe said that there were lettuce seeds in his spaceflight “luggage” and that he planned to grow them on the space station.

https://english.cas.cn/newsroom/research_news/chem/202208/t20220830_313320.shtml The thermal radiation emitted by human body  in the long-wave infrared region (8-14 μm) is characterized by low photon energy and low power intensity. A research team from the CAS Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has now designed a highly sensitive long-wave infrared detector that enables the low-power non-contact human-machine interaction. The study was published in Advanced Materials.

http://en.people.cn/n3/2022/0830/c90000-10141404.html Workers retrieve space experiments from the re-entry module of China’s new-generation manned spacecraft prototype during a ceremony in Beijing on May 29, 2022. SU DONG/FOR CHINA DAILY Chinese astronauts have successfully grown rice seedlings onboard the Tiangong space station. They aims to produce the complete life cycle of the plant, which begins with a seed and ends with a mature plant producing new seeds. China launched the Wentian space laboratory into orbit on July 24 to dock with the Chinese space station’s Tianhe core module. The space lab weighs 23 tons and is 17.9 meters tall. Onboard are eight experimental payloads, including the one for the rice experiment. Since the rice experiment began on July 29, the seedlings of the tall shoot rice variety have reached a height of about 30 centimeters, and the seedlings of the dwarf rice variety grew to around 5 cm. Another experiment is with seedlings of Arabidopsis thaliana. The astronauts will keep monitoring the plants, and if the experiment is successful, they will collect the newly produced seeds and bring them back to Earth for further studies. An important issue is to observe how microgravity can affect the plant flowering time on the molecular level and whether it is possible to use the microgravity environment to control the related process. Rice has been a staple food for astronauts since the early days of space exploration. US astronauts onboard the Apollo 11 mission, who were the first humans to land on the moon in July 1969, ate freeze-dried chicken and rice during their trip in space. But if astronauts will land on and explore Mars, bringing food from Earth is not enough to suffice for the astronauts’ long journey and mission in space.

http://j.people.com.cn/n3/2022/0825/c95952-10139687.html China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) has started operation of the first skid-mounted natural gas hydrogen production unit. At full capacity, the unit can produce approximately 11 cubic meters of hydrogen from 4.8 cubic meters of natural gas, and the purity of the hydrogen gas is 99.999%. It can immediately produce high-purity hydrogen gas for use in fuel cell vehicles, filling a void in the domestic Chinese industry.

http://en.people.cn/n3/2022/0827/c90000-10140463.html The report in English is based on a study by Japan’s National Institute of Science and Technology Policy (NISTEP)

http://j.people.com.cn/n3/2022/0823/c95952-10138451.html According to Wu Weiren, Chief Designer of the Moon Exploration Project and a member of the CAE, the fourth phase of the Moon Exploration Project entered the implementation phase at the end of 2021. The main goals of the fourth phase of the lunar exploration project are the scientific exploration of the South Pole of the Moon,  and the construction of the basic form of the lunar science research station. The mission will be carried out in three parts, Chang’e 6, Chang’e 7, and Chang’e 8, and is scheduled to be completed by 2030. China will have the capability for a manned lunar landing by 2030, and will lay the foundation for subsequent lunar science research and development, deep space exploration, and space resource utilization.

WRC showcases latest robotic technology, products in Beijing-Xinhua