A space park...Chinese astronauts take care of it
Arabia Weather - When we talk about astronauts, wonderful images of space missions to the moon, Mars, or the International Space Station and a space park may come to mind. Wait a minute. Yes, as I read, a space park; Since there is a group of Chinese astronauts working to create and care for an amazing “space garden” in Earth orbit, what is this garden and how is it cared for?
Shenzhou 16 space park mission
The Chinese astronauts on the Shenzhou 16 mission are interested in creating a space garden in Earth’s orbit, as Commander Jing Hai Peng and astronauts Zhou Yangzhou and Gui Hai grow vegetables as part of their scientific experiment on board the Tiangong Space Station, and the trio uses a “space garden” cultivation device that was designed By researchers from the Chinese Astronaut Research and Training Center, this device allows control of the levels of temperature, humidity, oxygen, and carbon dioxide to create ideal environments for plant growth. The “vegetable garden” for the Shenzhou-16 astronauts was installed on the space station in an inverted position relative to the Earth, so According to what was reported by the “Space” website.
Space garden and its purpose
The "Space Garden" is not only a source of food, oxygen and water for astronauts, but also a platform for scientific experiments aimed at studying the effects of unique space environments, such as the effect of microgravity forces in space on plant growth.
Previously, the Shenzhou mission crew planted 14 cress plants and other types of plants while aboard the Tiangong station. Currently, the Tiangong station contains more than 100 types of seeds, and these seeds are planned to be exposed to cosmic radiation before being returned to Earth to study, and scientists aspire to isolate beneficial mutations from these seeds to improve crop strains.
The three-module Tiangong spacecraft was built in late 2022, and the Shenzhou 16 mission was launched on May 29. It serves as a replacement for the Shenzhou 15 mission. These efforts highlight China's commitment to understanding and exploring space conditions and applying the results in the field of science, agriculture and technology.
Scientists are doing an amazing job developing technology and environmental knowledge in space; As it is not just a technological mission, it is also an exploratory journey towards a better understanding of the environmental world in space and improving the conditions for human life in it, and these pioneers deserve recognition for their great contributions to the field of space and the environment.
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Sources:
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