All the scientific experiments onboard the China's manned spaceship Shenzhou-4 in its unmanned space flight test, which was launched on December 30, 2002, have been completed, announced the CAS General Establishment of Space Science and Application (GESA) recently.
There were 52 devices or facilities onboard the space vehicle for the implementation of seven experiments in the fields of, among others, multimode microwave remote sensing, space environment, life sciences and bio-technology, and kinetics of Marangoni migration of liquid droplets under microgravity condition.
Microwave remote-sensing test in a space flight is the first feat of its kind in China, mainly aiming at oceanographic targets and concurrently monitoring land and air conditions at the boundary of ocean and continent. The radioactive mode has been put in use to probe rainfall, moisture contents, snowpack, soil humidity and sea-surface temperature. The altitude mode has been employed to detect the sea level effective wave height and oceanic circulation. And the scattering mode has been utilized to measure wind velocity and direction on the sea surface.
The space environment and its change are two vital issues in the flight of a manned spaceship as they involve the security of both the spacecraft and the astronauts. In order to carry out a comprehensive survey of the space environment, a total of 11 devices are equipped on the spaceship, specializing in monitoring the parameters of high-altitude atmosphere, high-energy and low-energy radiation.
In the field of life sciences, two experiments are arranged onboard Shenzhou-4: the electrical fusion of cells and separation/purification of bio-macromolecules or cells in the space. The two are both frontier research topics on bio-technology in the world.
The kinetics of Marangoni migration of liquid droplets under microgravity condition is noted for its exceptional importance both in theoretical exploration and in application value in such aspects as in material processing, crystal doping, space welding and electrophoresis, in which the migration of a liquid drop or gaseous bubble occur. A system of olein and silicone oil has been adopted in Shenzhou-4 to make experiments on migration of liquid droplets of various Reynold’s Number in different fields of temperature gradients. Taking advantage of a complete set of graphic records obtained from the test, fresh achievement in succeeding R&D projects is expected.
Most of the devices for these experiments were developed by CAS affiliates, including the CAS Center for Space Science and Applied Research, Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Institute of Mechanic. GESA took charge of the system the integration and tests, and the control and management of the orbiting experiments.
The research institutions participating in the development of scientific experiment onboard the spaceship include Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology, Shanghai Institute of Bio-chemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Microbiology and the State Micro-gravity Laboratory. In addition, the State Bureau of Oceanography, the CAS Shanghai Astronomic Observatory and others are assigned to land-based accessory tests and studies on remote-sensing application.
