China's Science Revolution

[selvaarchi]

China to launch the 1st of its 320 Hongyan LEO communications constellation satellite by year end. They hope to complete the constellation by 2025.

https://gbtimes.com/china-to-launch-...n?cat=business

They have launched it.

http://www.ecns.cn/news/2018-12-22/d...k8716152.shtml

China launched a communications satellite on Saturday, marking the start of construction of a vast space-based communications network capable of covering the entire world with broadband internet service.

The first satellite in the Hongyun project, which was planned by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp (CASIC) to be the country's first low-orbit broadband communications satellite constellation, was launched on Saturday at 7:51 am on a Long March 11 carrier rocket at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China.

The spacecraft is tasked with verifying basic designs of Hongyun satellite and demonstrating low-orbit broadband communications technologies.

Its main payloads are Ka-band transponders and transmission antennae. It also carries several scientific and technical devices to explore Hongyun system's applications in scientific research, environmental survey as well as air and sea transportation, CASIC said in a statement.

[selvaarchi]

China is often accused of being secretive and not sharing their data. If that is the case, the release by them of a big data sharing platform, will go a long way in changing their image.

http://www.cctvplus.com/news/2019011...ml#!language=1

The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) released a big data sharing platform on Tuesday, providing scientists and officials worldwide with information about the earth.

The platform will provide global users with systematic, diversified and standardized big data through a data, computing and service integrated information sharing system.

Up to this point, the platform already has five petabytes of data covering topics such as earth observation, biology, ecology, atmosphere, oceanology and microbiology.

Guo Huadong, an academic at the CAS, said at the press conference on Tuesday that the platform has combined data collected from multiple decades.

"The biggest feature of the platform is its multidisciplinary integration, which covers a large amount of data accumulated by dozens of institutes from the CAS on the environment, biology, ecology and so on. It has integrated the data of the past few decades," said Guo.

[Jim]

There has been comment in this forum of the Chinese people being not as innovative as the west. ...

China is often accused of being secretive and not sharing their data. ...

selvaarchi, statements like these are unnecessary, argumentative and borderline political. Please avoid them.

[selvaarchi]

China's researchers win the Newcomb Cleveland Prize.

http://en.people.cn/n3/2019/0201/c90000-9543137.html

A study on quantum communication made by Chinese scientists will receive the 2018 Newcomb Cleveland Prize as it laid the groundwork for ultra-secure communication networks of the future.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) announced Thursday that a team of 34 Chinese physicists led by Pan Jianwei with the University of Science and Technology of China had won the award that will be delivered on Feb. 14.

[selvaarchi]

"China launched world's first rocket-deployed weather instruments from unmanned semi-submersible vehicle"

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Ch...hicle_999.html

For the first time in history, Chinese scientists have launched a rocketsonde - a rocket designed to perform weather observations in areas beyond the range of weather balloons - from an unmanned semi-submersible vehicle (USSV) that has been solely designed and specially developed by China for this task.

The results of initial sea trials conducted in 2018 were published in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences on 31 Jan 2019.

[selvaarchi]

"China is beating the United States in the new space race"

https://spacenews.com/op-ed-china-is...ew-space-race/

The Chinese are beginning to bear the fruits of 30 years of massive, state investment into developing their STEM education (as well as a having a coordinated strategy for ensuring their young people were successful in entering those fields). For years, China has identified science, technology, engineering, and math as the source code to creating a truly dominant state. Having been raised on what the now-deceased former prime minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, once referred to as the “wolf’s milk of nationalism,” the ruling Chinese Communist Party have nursed a grudge against the West for what they refer to as the “century of humiliation.”

Historically, a great power — possibly the greatest world power before the rise of Europe in the 14th century — China was laid low by internal strife and outward pressures exerted on them by European and Japanese colonialism in their country, as well as American meddling in their affairs in the 19th and 20th centuries. Whereas most Americans have forgotten the impact of the “Open Door” policy in China, Beijing has never allowed their people to forget it. This ancient country (run by a totalitarian quasi-communist government) has invented a self-serving narrative of national victimhood coupled with the promise of national greatness. It is a compelling narrative to many Chinese.

[selvaarchi]

A brief history of the cotton seeds carried to the moon by China's Chang'e-4 probe.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/201..._137796785.htm

An experiment that saw the first-ever plant sprouting on the moon last month was born in a natural disaster that devastated China's cotton-industry almost three decades ago.

Li Fuguang was one of the Chinese agricultural scientists whose years of hard work might one day help lead to a base and long-term human residence on the moon.

He was on the team that developed the cotton seeds carried to the moon by China's Chang'e-4 probe, leading to the first-ever sprout on the moon.

The seed is one of the best varieties developed by the Institute of Cotton Research (ICR) of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

[selvaarchi]

"China's space research finds microgravity promotes iPS cells regenerative potential"

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/201..._137885881.htm

Research findings from China's Tianzhou-1 Space Mission have shown that the microgravity environment in space promotes heart cell differentiation of mice induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, providing new perspectives on future human space travel.

During space travel, the human body is in a state of weightlessness due to minimal gravitational pull from the earth, which is known as microgravity. Exposure to microgravity may have a profound influence on the physiological function of human cells.

Researchers from China's Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Tsinghua University and the Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences took the opportunity of the Tianzhou-1 space mission, China's first cargo spacecraft launched in 2017, to investigate how spaceflight may affect cardiac differentiation of mice iPS cells.

[selvaarchi]

China is poised to overtake the US in AI.

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Ch...chers_999.html

China is poised to overtake the United States in artificial intelligence with a surge in academic research on the key technology, an analysis published Wednesday showed.

The analysis by the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence showed China has already surpassed the US in published papers on AI -- although many of these were considered "medium-quality" or "low-quality."

But the researchers said China is likely to top the US in the most-cited 50 percent of papers this year, the most-cited 10 percent of papers next year, and in the top one percent by 2025.

[selvaarchi]

China has tested a new type os solar cell in near space.

http://www.ecns.cn/news/2019-03-15/d...u2192066.shtml

Chinese researchers have found that perovskite solar cells can retain most of their power conversion efficiency in near space, providing perspectives on the new solar cells' future application in space.

In recent years, perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are of huge interest to the academic community and the photovoltaics industry due to their potential of achieving higher efficiency and low production costs compared to traditional silicon solar cells.

According to researchers from China's Peking University, Academy of Opto-electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Northwestern Polytechnical University, PSCs have great potential for developing the new-generation energy technology for space application, but little research has been done to test the stability of PSCs in the extreme space environment.

[selvaarchi]

"Chinese physicist wins OSA's 2019 R.W. Wood Prize"

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/201..._137918189.htm

Pan Jianwei, a renowned Chinese physicist and professor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) won the 2019 R. W. Wood Prize presented by the Optical Society of America (OSA), the university said Friday.

It is the first time that a Chinese scientist has won the prize with a local research project since the award was established in 1975.

[selvaarchi]

"China’s space program soars"

https://www.asiatimes.com/2019/03/op...program-soars/

The first true rocket was fired by China in 1232, and when the United States landed a man on the moon exactly 50 years ago, China was mired in political turmoil. The country didn’t send an astronaut into space until 2003. But now it’s catching up. China is quickly becoming one of the most ambitious and pioneering nations when it comes to exploring space. The Chinese space program is one the fastest-growing in the world today.

From its relatively humble beginnings 60 years ago, the Chinese program has come to be one of the biggest contenders in the modern-day space race. Between its inception in the late 1950s and the turn of the century, the program experienced a gradual buildup in terms of technology, infrastructure and capability. In time, this would set the stage for China becoming an official major power in space. By 2003, the first crewed mission to Earth orbit was successfully launched. That same year, the China National Space Agency (CNSA) inaugurated the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program, which envisaged sending a series of robotic missions to the moon in preparation for an eventual crewed mission.

[7cscb]

"China’s space program soars"

https://www.asiatimes.com/2019/03/op...program-soars/

Selvaarchi,

I'm still not clear why you started a post on China's science Evolution (not revolution) on a Space Exploration forum. Now you add a piece of rah rah China propaganda in support of this nonsense.

The world is not still celebrating China's lunar space exploits. lol.

[selvaarchi]

"China making great strides in space endeavors, governance"

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1146045.shtml

China is playing an increasingly important role in mankind's quest to explore the universe, even though the country still lags behind many of its international peers in a number of areas, Chinese space experts and commentators said on Monday.

The comments came after worldwide audiences witnessed the first "event horizon" of M87, a black hole at the center of the Virgo A Galaxy, in simultaneous press conferences in global cities last week. Sixteen Chinese scientists participated in the creation of the photo, working in areas such as computer modeling and data analysis. But some argue that China's role can be bigger.

Space experts and commentators said China's capacity in exploring the cosmos still lags behind developed countries such as the US, Japan and members of the EU.

Cosmological exploration is a multifaceted effort, ranging from observing the universe from the Earth or its orbits to sending spacecraft to the stars. Theoretical study and analysis are equally important.

[selvaarchi]

"China develops unique heat-resistant material for hypersonic aircraft"

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1147843.shtml

Chinese scientists have developed a new heat-resistant material for hypersonic aircraft which can endure over 3,000 C from friction caused by a Mach 5-20 flight within the atmosphere.

The lead scientist on the project said the material outperforms all similar foreign-made ones with its high melting point, low density and high malleability.

The new material enables a hypersonic aircraft to fly at Mach 5-20 within the atmosphere for several hours, as the high heat resulting from the friction between the aircraft and the air reaches between 2,000 C to 3,000 C, a temperature normal metal would not be able to endure.

Normal metals melt at around 1,500 C, but this new material can bear over 3,000 C for an extended period, state-owned Hunan Television reported recently.

[selvaarchi]

To maintain momentum in its progress in Science, China needs to have its youths take an interest in Science. One way they do this is by having a week dedicated to Science and Technology.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/20190...5c2e7bb56.html.

Chen Luojing, a designer with the China Academy of Space Technology, was surprised at the public's enthusiasm for the country's space programs.

In a display during the 19th China National Science and Technology Week in May, an event to popularize science, throngs of visitors came to watch the model of lunar rover Yutu 2, which was developed by Chen's academy.

"They were very interested in how Yutu 2 works on the far side of the moon. One visitor even asked me how the Queqiao relay satellite sets the communication link between Earth and the probe," Chen recalled.

China has made great progress in science and technology in recent years, from probing space to exploring the deep sea, and from observing the universe to researching micro particles. Advances have fueled the public zeal for science.

[selvaarchi]

Chinese Scientists make breakthrough that enables rockets to orbit longer.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/20190...5c2e7be54.html

Chinese scientists have made a breakthrough in cryogenic rocket engine technology that can extend the orbital period of rockets from a few hours to 30 days, providing support for China's future deep space exploration.

Cryogenic rocket engines are specially designed to work at extremely low temperatures. They use non-toxic and non-polluting propellants, such as liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, which are more cost-efficient than others.

The engine has been widely used in domestic and foreign launch vehicles, including China's Long March-5 and Long March-7 carrier rockets.

However, most of these rockets can orbit only a few minutes or a few hours. An extended orbital period has puzzled the aerospace community for a long time.

Scientists from the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology have developed two insulating materials that can reduce propellant evaporation loss and keep rockets in flight for longer than before.

[selvaarchi]

"From Moon to Mars, Chinese space engineers rise to new challenges"

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/201..._138204133.htm

With eyes bright, Sun Zezhou, chief designer of China's Chang'e-4 lunar probe, speaks fast but clearly.

"Every time I see the moon, I think how Chinese probes have left permanent footprints on it, especially Chang'e-4, the first spacecraft to soft-land on the far side. As a member of the mission, I'm very proud," said Sun.

Chinese engineers began plans for the Chang'e-1 lunar probe in the 1990s, when Sun joined the team. China only had a monitoring system for near-Earth satellites, and communication with the moon at a distance of 380,000 km was still a big challenge.

"When I first heard the old experts discussing lunar exploration in 1996, I felt the moon was very distant," recalled Sun, who majored in monitoring and communication.

[selvaarchi]

China hopes to link their 6 National Supercomputing Centers (NSCC).

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/201..._138206768.htm

Tianjin has established a complete autonomous information industry including high-performance chips, autonomous control system, high-performance server and database, setting up a model on the transformation of technologic innovation achievements, said Li Xiang, vice president of the National University of Defense Technology.

"The supercomputer has become a symbol of power reflecting the innovative capabilities of China. Next, we will connect these supercomputing centers and share the resources nationwide," said Mei Jianping, deputy director-general of the Department of High and New Technology of the Ministry of Science and Technology.

[selvaarchi]

"China develops new generation recoverable satellite for commercial use"

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/201..._138218151.htm

China is developing a new generation recoverable satellite for commercial use, which is expected to make its maiden flight in 2020, according to a space engineer.

Delivering a report at a science communication salon recently, Zhao Huiguang, chief designer of the recoverable satellite from the China Academy of Space Technology, said China's new generation recoverable satellite is able to return 500 kg to 600 kg payloads back to Earth from space.

So far, China has launched 25 recoverable satellites, and their usage is shifting from resources investigation to space science, according to Zhao.

China launched its 25th recoverable satellite, SJ-10, in April 2016, to carry out 19 space science experiments, including mice embryo development in space and thermocapillary convection experiments.

"Through that mission, we improved the recoverable satellite platform. Currently, our satellite is able to return 250 kg payloads back to Earth from space," Zhao said.

[selvaarchi]

Two examples of technology developed for space exploration are being used on earth.

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1159298.shtml

A black robot about 90 cm tall opened a power box and flicked an air switch inside, this is what happened Wednesday at an electrical substation in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province.

The small robot was remotely controlled by workers in the maintenance unit of the State Grid Sichuan Electric Power Company and was used for the first time for grid maintenance. The robot's true significance however is that it is powered by technology developed for space exploration.

Sichuan is a major province in generating electricity with one of the most expansive grids in China.

Robots are often used in substations in China for maintenance, but they are usually loaded with different sensors for gathering information. However, this one can directly operate in the power boxes, said Zhang Yao, a worker with the Sichuan company.

Zhang is a team leader in his company on the project to apply the robot in their maintenance work. The robot was jointly developed by an institution under China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation and Zhang's company.

"It used a space robot as a prototype and was adapted to specialize in grid maintenance," said Zhang, adding that it is expected to be more widely used in two years.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/201..._138260582.htm

Sorting garbage on Earth will be easier thanks to a helping hand from a robotic arm in space.

Chinese scientists have developed a robotic arm for garbage collecting and separating, which was originally created for space missions and was first launched by China's Long March-7 rocket in 2016.

The arm, designed and built by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), a developer of the country's rockets, has been tested to remove space debris, including rocket emissions and fragments from disintegration, erosion and collision.

There are billions of pieces of millimeter-sized debris around Earth, which require precise capture and disposal that could be provided by the robotic arm.

It turns out that the high precision achieved in space is also very useful for sorting household garbage on Earth. Scientists from the CALT, using space and artificial intelligence technologies, have upgraded the arm into a high-efficient garbage sorting tool.

The robot has learned to sort garbage by scanning waste items with a visual identification system. In experiments, it can quickly identify and sort all types of household garbage.

[selvaarchi]

Another two steps China is taking to enhance their quest to be one of the leading science nations.

China to fund 41,752 science projects with more than 21 bln yuan

http://www.ecns.cn/news/sci-tech/201...t2923774.shtml

China will allocate 21.03 billion yuan (about 2.99 billion U.S. dollars) to finance 41,752 science projects, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) announced Friday.

The funds will go to 10 types of science projects including national key projects, key international cooperative research projects, projects conducted by distinguished young scholars, as well as major projects on scientific instruments and equipment.

The NSFC received more than 240,000 applications in March, up 12 percent year on year.

China will further strengthen its basic research and original innovation capability with the funds. Efforts will also be made to ensure the fairness of the review process and optimize the management of the funds, according to the NSFC.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/201..._138314185.htm

Chinese authorities have issued a guideline on promoting reform and development of the country's sci-tech journals.

The guideline proposes approaches to achieve a goal of establishing world-leading sci-tech journals, stressing that sci-tech journals reflect a country's competitiveness and cultural soft power.

It calls for efforts to enhance Chinese journals' management, market operation and international influence.

The guideline was jointly issued by the China Association for Science and Technology, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Education and the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

[docmordrid]

https://spacenews.com/chinese-commer...-first-launch/

Chinese commercial rocket Smart Dragon-1 reaches orbit with first launch

HELSINKI — A Chinese rocket company launched its first rocket Saturday, successfully sending three commercial satellites into orbit and boosting domestic light-lift competition.

The Jielong-1 (Smart Dragon-1) four-stage solid propellant rocket developed by China Rocket Co. Ltd., a commercial spinoff from a launch vehicle manufacturer under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), lifted off from a transporter erector launcher at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 12:11 a.m. Eastern Aug. 17.

While the debut of the 19.5-meters-tall, 1.2-meter-diameter, 23.1-metric-ton Smart Dragon-1 was expected, there was little prior indication of the mission’s timing as with the majority of Chinese launches.

The launch carried the 65-kilogram Qiansheng-1 (01) remote sensing, communication and navigation satellite along with two smaller payloads into 529- by 560-kilometer sun-synchronous orbits, according to data published by the U.S. Air Force.
>

[selvaarchi]

"China to launch polar-observing microsat"

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/20190...e35568e37.html

China will send a remote sensing satellite into orbit for polar climate and environment observation in September, according to its developers.

The satellite called "Ice Pathfinder" (Code: BNU-1), which weighs only 10 kg, is equipped with high-resolution cameras that can achieve full coverage of the Antarctic and Arctic in five days and strengthen monitoring of sea ice drifts and ice-shelf calving.

In addition, it has an automatic identification system for vessels to navigate through parts or the entirety of the polar regions.

The polar-observing microsat was initiated by scientists from the Beijing Normal University and developed by Shenzhen Aerospace Dongfanghong Development Ltd. It will be operated by Chinese University Corporation for Polar Research.

With a design life of one year, it will improve China's polar remote sensing capability. Its data will also be used to study global climate changes and develop Arctic shipping routes, according to Cheng Xiao, lead scientist of the project.

[selvaarchi]

"The 2019 Physics World Special Report on China is out now"

https://physicsworld.com/a/the-2019-...na-is-out-now/

This year marks a major anniversary in our exploration of the Moon – it’s 50 years since the astronauts aboard Apollo 11 stepped onto the lunar surface for the fist time. While people have not returned to the Moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, the exploration of our nearest neighbour is far from over.

Indeed, for the past decade, China has had a particular lunar focus, planning and launching a series of robotic missions. And earlier this year China did something that no other country had done before – put a lander on the side of the Moon that always faces away from Earth, known as the far side.

In the fifth and latest Physics World special report on China – following previous reports in 2011, 2016, 2017 and 2018– we take an in-depth look at China’s Chang’e-4 mission to the far side, which landed in the Von Kármán creator in the South Pole Aitken Basin on 3 January.

[selvaarchi]

We need to go to space, to see how China is transforming its deserts. See a 2 and a half minute video on what they have done.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/201..._138476984.htm

An amazing China you've never seen: Satellite images of Inner Mongolia

[selvaarchi]

"Chinese scientists' pursuit of cosmic rays opens windows on universe"

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1167805.shtml

In the wilderness of Daocheng, southwest China's Sichuan Province, 4,400 meters above sea level, Chinese scientists are constructing a cosmic ray observation station on an area equivalent to 200 soccer fields.

Huge rocks left from the Ice Age have been blasted. Different detectors are being installed to form a huge "net" to catch the particles generated by cosmic rays in the atmosphere, to help scientists study both the micro and the macro worlds in the universe.

Three huge underground pools, more than triple the size of the Water Cube (National Aquatic Center) in Beijing, will hold detectors to collect high-energy photons generated by remote celestial bodies. Surrounding the pools, 12 telescopes will be erected to conduct high-precision measurement of cosmic rays with the highest energy.

Construction of the first half of the observation station, known as Large High-Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO), is due to be finished at the end of this year, and the whole project completed at the end of 2020, said Cao Zhen, chief scientist of LHAASO and a researcher at the Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

[selvaarchi]

"Lunar, Mars exploration missions set for next year"

http://www.ecns.cn/news/sci-tech/201...x0271409.shtml

Chinese scientists are determined to carry out two of the nation's most challenging space endeavors next year: its Chang'e 5 lunar mission and first Mars exploration.

Ye Peijian, a leading space exploration researcher at the China Academy of Space Technology, said in Beijing recently that he and his colleagues are confident they will honor their commitment to the Chinese people, that of commencing with the Chang'e 5 and Mars missions in 2020.

"We have been improving the overall reliability of the Chang'e 5 mission since it was postponed, and we continue to make plans for all possible contingencies to make sure the program will succeed," he said.

Ye, 74, is one of the most accomplished space researchers in China and was recently awarded the honorary national title of People's Scientist. He has played major roles in a number of significant space projects, including the Chang'e lunar exploration program.

[selvaarchi]

"China plans more space science satellites"

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/201..._138512550.htm

China plans to launch four new science satellite missions by 2023, and scientists have completed concept research on another five to be launched in the next 10 years.

Successful Chinese science satellites launched since 2015 include the Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE), the Quantum Experiments at Space Scale (QUESS) and the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT). These were under a space science program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

The second phase of the program has now started, Wang Chi, director of the National Space Science Center under the CAS, recently told the first China Space Science Assembly in Xiamen, east China's Fujian Province.

The first mission of the second phase was Taiji-1, China's first satellite to conduct in-orbit experiments on key technologies related to space-based gravitational wave detection, which went into space on Aug. 31, 2019.

The four new missions include the Gravitational Wave Electromagnetic Counterpart All-sky Monitor (GECAM), expected to be launched at the end of 2020, which will search for electromagnetic signals associated with gravitational waves, Wang said.

[selvaarchi]

China leads the world in 33 out of 137 research topics in cutting-edge and new natural and social science fields, but has a long way to go to catch up with USA (USA leads in 80 of the 137).

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/20191...e3557a371.html

China is catching up with the United States in research contributions and activity in frontier sciences, and it currently leads the world in 33 out of 137 research topics in cutting-edge and new natural and social science fields, according to a report published on Tuesday.

The report, compiled by the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institutes of Science and Development and Clarivate Analytics, a global analytics firm, says that while the US has been on a gradual decline in activity and influence in research frontiers over the last three years, it remains the world's top contributor to frontier sciences and a leader in 80 of the 137 topics this year.

Findings from the report, named Research Front 2019, have been published annually since 2014 to help researchers and officials determine key scientific areas where the scientific community is most active, allowing them to identify scientific trends and areas of possible collaboration.

According to an index from the report evaluating a country's contribution to research frontiers, the US leads the world with a score of 204.9 points this year, followed by China with 139.7, the United Kingdom at 80.9, Germany at 67.5 and France at 46.3.