06 July 2022
Scientific endeavors aboard China's space station are expected to bear fruits, as the SZ-14 taikonauts have devoted more time to microgravity experiments on the orbiting core module Tianhe since entering it a month ago. The crew has conducted microbial tests in water, air and surface samples, aiming to ensure that they can stay safe and comfortable during the six-month spaceflight. They also installed a device for carbon dioxide reduction and regeneration in their orbiting home. In the latest update, the trio was seen undergoing an eye examination and medical aid training. Also, the SZ-14 taikonauts will deliver a livestream science lecture at China's space station lab module Wentian, which is scheduled to be launched this month.
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06 July 2022
A 25 m2 de-orbiting sail, developed by Institute 805 of SAST, was unfolded on 26 June. The sail was mounted on the payload of the CZ-2D, launched on 23 June. The sail is designed to accelerate the decay of payloads of up to 300 kg within 2 years. It is made of extra-thin materials and its thickness is less than one tenth of the diameter of a hair. Such light, highly extendable textiles mean that the sail system can be installed onboard any mature spacecraft, according to the SAST.
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09 July 2022
Though China now has more than 1.7 kg of lunar soil gathered from its historic Chang'e 5 mission, the government practices a prudent policy when it comes to distributing these valuable samples to researchers. Considering this, a group of researchers at China University of Geosciences has figured out a solution, which they call a novel method for the simultaneous analysis of particle size and mineralogy for lunar soil with minimum sample consumption. They have published their method in the latest edition of the scientific journal Science China－Earth Sciences.
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09 July 2022
Chinese scientists have published a study that helps to explain an anomaly in the composition of the Moon's biggest crater in the South Pole-Aitken Basin, identifying the abnormal materials there as originating from the lunar crust. The study was conducted by a Chinese research team studying planetary sciences at Shandong University, and was published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. The study is based on CE-4 data.
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