SPACE SCIENCE ACTIVITIES IN CHINA Science Researches of Chinese Manned Space Flight AUTHORS GU Yidong Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization, Chinese Academy of Sciences, GAO Ming Beijing 100190 ZHAO Guangheng LIU Yingchun JIN Zhaojun ABSTRACT With the complete success of the 2nd stage of Chinese Manned Space Program (CMSP), several science researches have been performed on Tiangong-1 experimental spacelab, which was docked with three Shenzhou spaceships one after another. The China’s real spacelab, Tiangong-2 will be launched in 2015, docked with a Shenzhou spaceship soon. After six months, it will be docked with the first Chinese cargo ship (Tianzhou-1). More space science researches, involving with space biology, fluid physics, fundamental physics, materials science, Earth science, astronomy and space environmental science, will be operated on Tiangong-2 spacelab, and crewed and cargo spaceships. Furthermore, the considerable large-scale space utilization of Chinese Space Station is planned. The research fields include yet not limited to space medicine and physiology, space life science and biotechnology, fluid physics and combustion in microgravity, space material science, and fundamental physics in microgravity, space astronomy, Earth science, space physics and space environment utilization, technology demonstration. KEY WORDS Science research, Chinese Manned Space Program (CMSP), Space station 1 Progress and Future Plans of China’s experimental space laboratory, was visited by the other Manned Space Program two Shenzhou spaceships after Shenzhou-8 in the latest two years. Shenzhou-9 spaceship docked with Tian- Tiangong-1, serving as a target spacecraft as well as an gong-1 in June, 2012, which was China’s first manned ·14· GU Yidong, et al.: Science Researches of Chinese Manned Space Flight spacecraft rendezvous and docking. Liu Yang, the first data utilization in the nation’s economic, social Chinese female astronaut, was among the crew. One development and scientific research. Under the authorization year later, Shenzhou-10 spaceship docked with Tiangong-1 in June 2013 with another female astronaut. Now Tab.1 Key specifications of HSI Tiangong-1 has exceeded its planned two-year opera- spectral number spectral spatial spectral name width tional life time and entered the extension application range of bands resolution resolution full phase. It will continue to work in orbit till the fuel runs out. 0.5–0.8 μm 1 - 5 m 20 km chromatographic With the complete success of these spaceflight miss- visible and near 0.4–1 μm 64 10 nm 10 m 10 km ions as a milestone, China’s Manned Space Program infrared shortwave (CMSP) will enter a new phase of manned space station 1–2.5 μm 64 23 nm 20 m 10 km construction. Tiangong-2, serving as a real space infrared laboratory, will be launched in 2015. Half a year later, thermal infrared - 1 - 10 m 15 km the first cargo ship (named Tianzhou-1) will be launched and dock with Tiangong-2 in 2016. In 2018, the first module as the core module of the multi-module space station of China will be launched. And two experimental modules will be launched into space in 2020 and 2022 respectively. The China’s manned space station is planned to be a state-level space laboratory, for carrying out successive space science researches, technology demonstrations and some space applications. Between 2015 and 2022, there will be a series of cargo ships and manned spaceships transporting crews and supplies to the space laboratory and space station. 2 Science Researches on Tiangong-1 and Shenzhou Spaceships Ever since having been launched on September 29, 2011, Tiangong-1 is in flight operation phase, including three rendezvous and docking missions. All the payloads on Tiangong-1 have performed well, e.g. the Earth observation and space environment detectors onboard. Tiangong-1 has obtained a great deal of scientific data, which are valuable in mineral resources Fig.1 Hyperspectral short-wave infrared spectral data applied to investigation, ocean and forest application, hydrologic mineral identification and ecological environment monitoring, land utilization planning, urban thermal environment monitoring and emergency disaster control. Remarkable application benefits have been achieved. For example, Tiangong-1 provided the timely hyper-spectral observation data during the Yuyao (a county in Zhejiang Province of China) flood disaster as well as the image data during the Australia forest fire. (1) Space Earth Science: Hyperspectral Imager The key specifications of Hyperspectral Imager (HSI) installed on Tiangong-1 are shown in Table 1. And images from three spectrums are shown in Figure 1–3. Recently, China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) officially published the data policies and there are two Fig.2 Thermal infrared spectral data and other remote sensing accesses to Tiangong-1 application data to facilitate the ancillary data applied to Earth surface observation ·15· SPACE SCIENCE ACTIVITIES IN CHINA Fig.3 Hyperspectral visible-near infrared data applied to monitoring of land utilization of CMSA, Technology and Engineering Center for (2) Space Material Science: Composite Space Utilization (CSU) of Chinese Academy of Sciences Colloidal Crystal Growth (CAS) is in charge of processing and distributing the A diffract visible light imager was operated in Earth observation data obtained from Tiangong-1. The Tiangong-1 to observe the composite colloidal crystals nonprofit users can fill a form online to obtain the data or crystalline phase transition in microgravity environment. of Grade 1 and Grade 2. The domestic and international The series of comparison crystallization experiments on commercial users can purchase the data service via the ground have been done, to find the effect of gravity several Chinese agents. Tiangong-1 data Service in the colloidal crystal growth process and understand Platform for Expanding Space Utilization has been more about the mechanism of colloidal crystal growth. online. Users may visit http://www.msadc.cn to learn the The natural crystallization process of one material details about the related policies, data acquisition sample is showed in Figure 4. The initial state of procedure and application cases. amorphous material sample in the crystallization Fig.4 Images of natural crystalline Kossel diffraction for typical sample. The upper are the results of space experiments and the lower are the results of ground experiments ·16· GU Yidong, et al.: Science Researches of Chinese Manned Space Flight experiments was observed under a zero external electric and the astronaut's operational capability in space. field (or voltage) and 25 ℃ temperature. The Kossel Aided by her Shenzhou-10 crew member, Wang diffraction lines of the sample process from scratch Yaping, the second Chinese female astronaut, conducted were observed on board. A number of natural crystalline the scientific experiments and gave a physics lesson to diffraction experiments were conducted, in order to Chinese students on live television. Wang demonstrated confirm the experimental result. The typical natural pendulum movement and gyroscopic motion, and crystalline diffraction figures of in-orbit experiments created a water bubble to illustrate the surface tension of and of the corresponding comparison ground experiment water in microgravity. More than 60 million students are shown in Figure 4. The data analyses are illustrated and teachers from 80 thousand high schools all over in Figure 5. China have participated in the interaction. 3 Science Researches on Tiangong-2 Spacelab and Tianzhou-1 Cargo Ship Tiangong-2, as the first real space laboratory of CMSP, will be launched in 2015. There will be a relatively larger scale space science projects on board. The fields of researches are related with the space biology, fluid physics in microgravity, fundamental physics, Earth science, space astronomy, and space environment detector. All flight models of scientific payloads have been completed development, which are undergoing integrated tests and ground verification now. An experimental cargo ship, Tianzhou-1, is going to be lunched around 2016. A cell bioreactor, a two-phase fluid instrument and an accelerometer for flight demonstration will be launched with it. (1) Space Biology and Microgravity Physics A higher plants cultivation experiment on Tiangong-2 would study the growth and development law from seed to seed, to explore how the long-day and short-day photoperiodic induce and control the flowering law and regulation mechanism under microgravity conditions. Fig.5 Natural crystalline analyses for typical sample. The left is An integrated material furnace on Tiangong-2 would the change of lattice size during the natural crystalline process, the focus on the material physical and chemical processes right is the change of the crystal lattice orientation during the natural of space material production, the samples including crystallization process; the red triangles mark the space experimental semiconductor optoelectronic materials, metal alloys data and the black rings mark the ground experimental data and metastable materials, new feature single crystal, micro-nano and composite materials, etc. (3) Astrobiology A liquid bridge thermo-capillary on Tiangong-2 Aboard the Tiangong-1, the Shenzhou-9 and Shenzhou-10 convection experiment would observe the large Prandtl crew members tested space medicine and conducted a number liquid bridge, study the effect of the ratio of series of technology demonstrations. height