🚀 China's Shenzhou-18 Mission to Kickstart Space Life Support Revolution
Water plants that could provide oxygen and food for future long-term space missions, simulations of early Earth conditions that might unveil the origin of life, and super lubricant materials that could drastically extend the lifespan of space equipment—these are just some of the exciting science projects the China Space Station is about to embark on! 🌌
Shortly after the Shenzhou-18 crew heads into space on Thursday for their six-month mission, they'll dive into groundbreaking experiments that could change the future of space exploration. 🛰️
Professor Cang Huaixing, from the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), shared that the Shenzhou-18 mission will include three life science experiment projects and one in material science.
One of the coolest projects? An aquatic life support system! 🐠🌿 This self-sufficient ecosystem will run in the space station for about a month, and it's set to bring some mind-blowing insights.
Professor Wang Gaohong of the Institute of Hydrobiology at CAS, one of the brains behind this life experiment, gave us the scoop. The ecosystem will feature four zebrafish and some hornwort (a water plant). With a bit of LED lighting magic, the hornwort will produce oxygen through photosynthesis, keeping the fish alive. It's like building a mini Earth in space! 🌎✨
This self-sufficient ecological circulation system could pave the way for long-term human survival in space. Imagine astronauts growing their own food and producing their own oxygen on distant planets! 🌱👩🚀
Stay tuned for more updates on this stellar mission that's pushing the boundaries of what's possible in space travel. The future is now, and it's out of this world! 🚀🌠
Reference(s):
China to probe long-term life-supporting system in new space mission
cgtn.com
