|
No.181 |
CHINA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
NEWSLETTER
The Ministry of Science and Technology
People's Republic of China
|
| N0.181 |
March 20,1999 |
|
|
|
|
IN THIS ISSUE
|
- China will Enhance Input in Science and Education
- China Acquisition of Nearly 100% Transmittable Apospecies
- Bumper Harvests for China's Space Biological Studies
- Beijing's High Tech Industry Week
- Beijing International Manufacturing Science and Technology Conference
|
China's Space Shuttle
Mr. Zhang Heqi, Chief Scientist of China's National 863 Program and former Director General of Zijinshan Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has recently revealed that China would make its unmanned space shuttle off the launching pad in a time of one or two years and would send manned space shuttle into orbit several years later.
The planned space shuttle cruising will become China's largest scientific experiment following the explosion of its atomic bomb, hydrogen bomb and launching artificial satellites.
Mentioning China's technological strength of launching space shuttles, Mr. Zhang said support for such endeavor is guaranteed in every related aspect.
Firstly we have carrier rockets with the thrust enough to send the space shuttle of about ten tons into the orbit. Secondly China has accumulated experiences in satellite recovery. So far China has successfully recovered 16 from its 17 launched recoverable remote sensing satellites. Thirdly China's unmanned space shuttle is designed as a manned space shuttle with functions and performances totally in line with the latter. It is possible that the unmanned space shuttle carries some animals on experimental purposes. Fourthly, China's space technology and techniques have witnessed great breakthroughs such as its solar cell technology that is able to accommodate secondary energy demand of the space shuttle.
Experts disclosed that China's space science and technology Aerospace Personnel Training Center.experiment center can be compared with Houston Space Laboratory and Boeing Experimental Center in US. The space shuttle may test its flight in a huge vacuum dome and verify its technical indicators such as radiation.The reason of Mr. Zhang's involvement in China's space program is that he will have the instrument fly aboard to detect γ explosion. γ explosion discovered in the 1960s is a cosmic mystery. When exploded, atomic and hydrogen bombs produce γ ray. However, two US satellites have detected γ ray from space sometimes with strong intensity. People still do not know what kind of matter γ ray is and how far the emitting sources are from us.Under the leadership of Mr. Zhang, more than 20 scientists of Zijinshan Observatory have eventually worked out prototype instrument for measuring γ ray after 5 years' study. Different from similar instruments made in other countries, the Chinese made instrument is of internationally advanced level. The instrument may help us to derive the possible distance from the γ ray source to the earth and analyze its nature. The strong quake and extremely cold temperature in the flight have imposed very high demand for manufacturing such instrument.
Experts said that the trip of unmanned space shuttle was pioneering a way for the manned. As a matter of fact, the unmanned space shuttle is structured with men's cabin as the manned one.
In the last three decades and more, China has accumulated detailed data on life's reaction to space through its animal experiments on satellites. In addition, China's successful development of oxygen feeder, protection helmets, microwave proof coats and drugs have provide support for future trip of manned space shuttle.
It is disclosed that at the end of 1997, two Chinese astronauts had graduated with excellent scores on space flight from Russian Gagalin Space Preparation Center. It is also said that two astronauts have the full knowledge of piloting Russian 'Coalition' Space Shuttle. They will shoulder the responsibility of teaching others when they return to China. In the meanwhile, China has screened out best air fighter pilots to be the candidates to be trained for future space trip.
China will Enhance Input in Science and Education
Mr. Zeng Peiyan, Director of National Development and Planning Co mmission, and Mr. Xiang Huaicheng, Minister of Finance Ministry said in their respective reports addressing the second plenary session of 9th National People's Congress on March 6, 1999 that they will enhance their support to the implementation of the strategy of revitalizing the country with science and education.
In the report on the implementation of 98' national economic and social development plan and draft plan on 99' national economic and social development, Mr. Zeng said that last year had witnessed increased input in research and development in the field of science and education. Scientists have worked out a group of new achievements on major technical issues of critical and common natures and of importance to the national economic development such as digital mobile telecom munication, high clarity prototype television, 8-inch polished single crystal piece and kiln based deacidification. A number of major projects such as large op tical fiber astronomical spectrum telescope of multiple light zones are under co nstruction. Education at different levels and of different types have made new progress. The areas in which 9 year compulsory education have been realized reach ed 73% of the nation's total and young and middle aged illiterates dropped to 5.5%. Job related education and adult education have witnessed sound developmen t. Reform of the management system of higher learning institutions has achieved breakthroughs with 650 higher learning institutions restructured with their man agement system to different extend in the principle of "joint development, read justment, cooperation and integration","211 Project" dedicated to improving higher education has entered implementation phase.
Referring to the implementation of the strategy of revitalizing the country with science and education, Mr. Zeng said reform of science and technology system shall be vigorously promoted so as to accelerate the establishment of innovative system and new mechanism marrying S&T and economy. Education shall be placed in a priority position in a real term through continuous promoting all-round reform of education and further mobilizing social forces to run education.
Popularization of 9-year compulsory education, elimination of illiteracy and im proving quality education, professional education and adult education shall be further enhanced. He also said that 1999 will see the enrollment of graduate student reach 82,000 and undergraduate student 1.3 million.
In the report on implementation of 98' budgets of central and local governments and draft budget for 1999, Mr. Xiang Huaicheng told the plenary session that t o implement the strategy of revitalizing the country with science and education, the state treasury has increased one percent of its budget appropriations for education for three c onsecutive years ever since last year. The state also established Science and T echnology Development Foundation and launched Knowledge Innovation Project. In addition, the state increased its input in national major S&T projects with its financial support to education and S&T increased by 37% and 27.9% respectively in 1998 against the previous year.
He added that this year will see an increase of Rmb 2.6 billion for national edu cation budget, 21.4% up than last year. To support knowledge innovation project and national major S&T projects, the state treasury will increase its input by Rmb 820 million, 9.5% more than last year.
China Acquisition of Nearly 100% Transmittable Apospecies
Thanks to his decade arduous explorations, Prof. Guo Dedong of Heilongjiang University has not only worked out the hybrid between wild sugarbeet and cultivated one but also successfully shifted individual chromosomes of wild sugarbeet into the cultivated. As a reward, he acquired allotriploid apomixia, complete individual episome and nearly 100% transmittable single apomixia. These materials have become valuable ones for the studies and applications of plant r eproduction.
The purpose of sugarbeet distant hybridizing is to introduce the advantageous pr operties of wild beet into the cultivated one and make it acquire resistance to diseases and high sugar content. In the experiment chaired by Prof. Guo Dedong, wild sugarbeet and cultivated one were used as parents so as to develop real hybrid. By overcoming the difficulties encountered in distant hybridizing, Prof. Guo eventually acquired allotriploid apomixia with a pair of chromosome of wild sugar beet and cultivated sugarbeet with individual episome. The experiment has provided important materials for selecting fine sugarbeet species and develop species resources. Another more important surprise is that they also discovered ne arly 100% transmittable apospecies in a series of individual episomes.
The socalled apomixia means a special reproduction of seeds that is able to continue such reproduction process without going through the marriage between sperm and egg. Of the special techniques used for the purpose, allodiploid apomixia m ay make the seed be of the composition of chromosomes completely identical to th at of its parents. In other words, it cloned its parents. Such long lasting hybrid superiority can be used to pass the merits of fine hybrids from generation to generation so as to increase the yield and also help to simplify the hybridizi ng process. These advantages are of far-reaching significance to the development of agriculture. Started from the 1960s, many international research institutions have studied and tried to utilize apomixia, separate and assess apomixi a genes without success.
The nearly 100% transmittable single apomixia episome screened out in Prof. Guo 's studies has confirmed the fact that apomixia genes are located in the chromo somes of episome wild sugarbeet and its chromosome can be recognized physically and can be separated under the operation of microscope. As a result, the scope of apomixia gene selection can be greatly narrowed down and invaluable materials for cloning apomixia genes were acquired.
Bumper Harvests for China's Space Biological Studies
Space biological studies that have lasted for 12 years in China h ave witnessed further progress made in"intercomparison of space and land based biological effects" The results demonstrated China's capability of launching large scale space biological experiment, which is of great importance for China to realize its manned space program in next century.
Headed by Institute of Aquatic Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, involving of eight other research institutions, the project of "intercomparison of space and land based biological effects" is an experimental study of space biological effects of theoretical importance on the basis of life sciences carried out by new space technologies in close collaboration with biological studies and hardware development. The project is the largest of its kind in the country and has bee n accomplished with all its own independent efforts. Its major results are: dis covery of biological adaptability under environmental pressure of space flight; single cloning separation phenomenon occurred on the first and returned on-boar d trips; large quantity of data collected on morphology, growth, physiology, bio chemistry and genetics of several dozens of living creatures (cells, tissues, id iotype, species) on a
systematic, extented and tiered basis; development of some new concepts on the basis of experimental evidences such as the joint effects of glycerol a nd plasma membrane and calcium ion on experiencing, transmission and response of cells in changed gravity.; succes sful realization of common space culture base for different living creatures and fixed culture, construction of 2 dimensional closed biological system, which pr ovided evidences for developing space biological reactor and processing techniqu es; development of highly intercompatible integrated common biological nursery w ith biological protection, monitoring and control functions, which has created c onditions for studies of space biological effects on a new stage and basic evide nces for the establishment and development of China's space biological system.
As briefed by Mr. Liu Yongding, head of the research project, on the basis of six on-board experiments, they have again sent 33 living creatures selected from 87 biological materials to the earth orbit and acquired valuable instant biological data in the flight through real-time measurement. The experiments on these 33 living creatures were focused on eight major scientific issues such as senil ity and free radical, triggered response to pressure and triggering processes, o riented space behavior, messenger role of calcium, membrane's sensing and trans mission of changed gravity, species and idiotype variations and their relationsh ip, effects of growth acceleration (microbes) and development (brain cells and i nsects). China's space biological studies have for the first time in the world completed the study of higher plants's sprouting and sapling growth, acquired t he dynamic curves of micro algae community growth and aquatic common culture in space, obtained brain cells cultivation in space and breeding of modified insect s in space. Many of the results constitute the latest development in the intern ational studies of same fields. So far more than 50 scientific papers have been published at home and aboard while 40 and more papers presented at academic mee tings held either at home or abroad.
Beijing's High Tech Industry Week
99' Beijing International High Tech Industry Week will start fro m May 20 to 24 in Beijing. As revealed by Mr. Liu Qi, Chairman of Organizing Com mittee of high tech week and Mayor of Beijing Municipality, so far 24 governmen tal or professional delegations from US, UK, Canada, Italy, Japan, Korea and som e other countries, more than 200 high tech enterprises both from home and abroad have filed their registration. The high tech week has also invited 300 and mor e internationally renowned entrepreneurs, heads of high tech zones, scientists a nd scholars to participation.
It is reported that the main theme of the high tech week is to review and look a head of the high tech industrial world. International high tech exhibition and trade fair, lectures, seminars, negotiations on technology results transfer, tra ding talks and governmental procurement will also be held in the week. Sponsore d by Beijing Municipal Government, Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology an d Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Co-operation, the corresponding activ ities and bidding projects will be published through Internet in its website at http://www.hightechbj.com.
Beijing International Manufacturing Science and Technology Conference
The 5th International Manufacturing Science and Technology Confer ence jointly sponsored and organized by Mr. Lu Yongxiang, President of Chinese A cademy of Sciences and Mr. Tian Changlin, former president of Berkeley Universit y of California will be held from October 31 to November 3, 1999 in Beijing.
The conference has been financed to a large extend by Jiang's Industrial Charit able Foundation set up by renowned Hong Kong entrepreneur Dr. Jiang Zhen. Sinc e 1991, the Foundation has financed the convening of international manufacturing science and technology conference every two years, which provided opportunities to know the latest international science and technology and management strategi es for the experts on machinery manufacturing industry and techniques, discussin g future development trends and exploring possible collaborations. So far more than 1800 representatives from 20 and more countries or regions had participated the events.
Comments or inquiries on editorial matters or Newsletter content should be directed to:Mr. Dong Jianlong, Department of International Cooperation, MOST 15B, Fuxing Road Beijing 100862, PR China Tel: (8610)68512650 Fax: (8610) 68512594, or Mr. Wang Jianping, Editor,NEWSLETTER, 15 Fuxing Road Beijing 100038, PR China, Tel:(8610) 68515544 Ext. 2921
|
|
| |
 |
|
