CCTV News: From the launch of the Tianhe core module in 2021 to the present, in three years, China's space station has carried out nearly 100 space science experiments and achieved a number of important scientific research results. The Shenzhou-18 crew will also carry out a number of scientific experiments in orbit.
As a national space laboratory, the scientific research facilities of China's space station mainly include 14 scientific experiment cabinets in the sealed cabin and an extravehicular exposure experiment platform, which support the rolling implementation of scientific research in orbit such as space astronomy, space life science and biotechnology, and microgravity basic physics.
Zhang Wei, a researcher at the Center for Space Application Engineering and Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said: "We have done nearly 100 experiments before, and the samples of more than 40 experiments have been returned, producing some distinctive results. ”
The experimental projects that entered the Chinese space station with Shenzhou-18 include four scientific experiments, including life ecology science experiments and extravehicular exposure experiments of materials. Among them, the life ecology science experiment project takes zebrafish and goldfish algae as research objects, and "space fish farming" is expected to be realized in the Chinese space station.
Zebrafish is a very beautiful ornamental fish, about 3-4 cm long, slender body, from head to tail with many dark blue lines, like zebra, so it is called zebrafish. The space fish tank is equipped with 4 zebrafish, as well as goldfish algae, the fish tank is closed, filled with water, the oxygen required by zebrafish is all produced by the photosynthesis of goldfish algae, the system can realize automatic feeding, temperature control, light control, etc., and can also collect fish eggs, which will be brought back to the ground by astronauts in the future for further research by scientists.
As a typical model laboratory animal, the zebrafish has more than 70% similarity to the human genome, and this is the first vertebrate animal welcomed by the Chinese space station in addition to astronauts so far.
Zhang Wei said: "Zebrafish and goldfish algae form a small ecology, and at the same time, zebrafish is still a very small vertebrate, we need to study the bone loss of vertebrates in space, do muscle atrophy research, and form a series of studies." ”
According to reports, through the extensive solicitation in 2023, China's space station has collected nearly 1,000 scientific projects, selected more than 100, and is being approved in batches, and is expected to be implemented by the Tianzhou 8, 9 and 10 spacecraft respectively.
Zhang Wei introduced: "At present, it is more interesting that we are going to put on mice, and these little mice will be raised on them, and then they will be returned. After returning, a lot of research will be conducted, including bone loss, muscle atrophy, including immunity, nerves, which is equivalent to doing some research on mice in all aspects. Through in-depth research on mice, it is actually very meaningful for the long-term survival of future humans in space. ”
Editor: Wu Jiahong
Source: CCTV