China Aims at Deep Space
YUAN Jiajun, President of China Academy of Space Technology, recently said that China plans to accelerate its space science research and deep space explorations. China has defined its space scientific development goals: establishing a satellite based observational system capable for stable and long term running, establishing an independently operated satellite broadcasting and telecommunication system, establishing a stand along satellite navigation and positioning system, realizing manned space flight, and establishing a basic engineering development and testing system for manned space flight.
China will in the near future launch more satellites to explore space, construct a satellite based solar observing system capable for long term running, launch new technology experimental satellites, testing new satellite payloads, platforms and other new technologies in space, launch a moon probe satellite, a moon soft lander, and a probe device able to collect specimens from the moon surface and return to earth, and stage an integrated exploration to know the distributions of the moon’s energy and resources, and associated patterns.
In addition, China will establish a satellite observational system made up of land, marine, meteorological and environmental satellites. Diversified means, including visible, infrared and microwave, will be used to achieve an accurate, near real time, uninterrupted, and all-weather capacity, realizing the combination and integration of different remote sensing channels, and the integrated and effective utilization of the space system.
China will establish a comprehensive broadcasting and telecommunication satellite system, housing fixed telecommunication, mobile telecommunication , live TV broadcasting, live audio broadcasting, broadband multimedia telecommunication , regional mobile telecommunication, and data relay. These efforts will greatly enhance China’s telecommunication capability, securing a satellite telecommunication network able to support 100,000 or more subscribers, with the satellite TV and radio broadcasting coverage reaching 100%. By that time, China’s telecommunication will feature the strength in mobility, worldwide and real time. China will strive to upgrade its second generation regional navigation and positioning system to a global coverage, featuring source-free, and 3-D high accuracy for navigation, positioning and timing.
In the field of manned space flight, China will strive to master the technologies that make spacecraft docking and astronauts walking out possible China will also work on a space lab project, realizing the automatically operated flight on a long run, and the manned space research system for a short run, laying foundations for developing China’s own space station.
YUAN added that the improvement of basic home made techniques and technologies, especially accurate processing and manufacturing technologies, constitutes an urgent task in realizing the goals China has set up for its space vehicle system. China will accelerate the construction of infrastructures and associated supporting systems, building up its capacity for independent development of key experimental equipment, measuring equipment and key components and raw materials. China will also strengthen its researches in the fields of space physics, space astronomy, space environment, and microgravity, promoting in-depth R&D in space technology applications.
Internationally Advanced Hydrology
China has successfully placed the flush floods occurred in the Huaihe basin in 2003 under control, using scientific flood prediction techniques and rescue means, said JING Zhengshu, Chinese Vice Minister of Water Resources, at a national S&T conference for water resources held on November 2, 2004 in Chengdu. Using optimized water resources distribution theory and techniques, China has established a unified water resources distribution and management system, which has ensured the uninterrupted flows of the Yellow River four years in a row, even facing the serious water shortage of the Yellow River Basin and increasingly elevated river bed at the lower reaches. Tracking down the water and ecological environment before and after the diverted water supply to the Talimuhe River, Heihe River and Zhalong Wetlands, and associated analysis and scientific evaluation has provided technical support for the decision making process of ecological water diversion project.
Hydrological S&T activities secure powerful support for major hydraulic works, easing the shortage of urban water supply, and for ecological restoration. For example, the exploration and implementing of the scenario building a water efficient society in the Zhangye area of Gansu Province and the Mianyang area of Sichuan Province provides the technical support for creating water efficient role models. Under the new theory and practice for water pollution control and soil conservation, ecological and biotech means are employed to restore polluted water bodies, and the self-regulating power of mother nature is also utilized to control soil erosions. The realization of the Three Gorge’s functionalities, including water storage, power generation and shipping, and the full fledged implementation of water diversion from south to north project, forcefully demonstrates China’s internationally advanced hydrological engineering capability, and its proven records to build the world class hydraulic works.
Statistics show that since 2001 the Chinese Ministry of Water Resources has initiated or launched in collaboration with other national S&T programs more than 10 major projects, worth RMB 330 million. During the period of 2001-2004, the Ministry of Water Resources has allocated RMB 178 million to support hydrological projects under the 948 Program, RMB 35 million for S&T innovation projects, RMB 16 million for diffusion projects, and RMB 240 million for infrastructure construction.
2004 -World Engineer Conference Opened
Under the co-sponsorship of the World Federation of Engineering and UNESCO, and jointly organized by the Chinese Association for Science and Technology, the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and the Shanghai Municipal Government, the 2004- World Engineer Conference lifted its curtain on November 3, 2004 at the Shanghai International Convention Center. Some 3000 participants from 70 countries or regions attended the conference. The UN Secretary General Kofi Annan sent his congratulation message to the conference.
The organizing committee of the conference has received some 800 papers, of which 174 were submitted by Chinese engineers. During the session, 12 internationally renowned experts and scholars, including Maurice Strong, Chairman of the Earth Council, Bjorn Stigson, President of World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and XU Kuangdi, President of the Chinese Academy of Engineering delivered keynote speeches. Seven special forums were also lined up to discuss major interesting issues, including network engineering and information process, bioengineering and human health, and resources and energy. 281 domestic and foreign experts made scientific lectures. Some other related events were also staged, including China Major Engineering Achievements Show and Forum, Video Shows of Great Projects in the World, Future Engineers for teenagers, Women Engineer Forum, Academicians’ Round Table Meeting, art performance, and engineers’ gathering.
More Progresses for Moon Probe Satellite
Chang’e I, the would-be China’s first moon probe satellite, has entered a full fledged development as scheduled. According to a briefing, researchers have worked out all the key technologies needed by the new satellite. The prototype construction goes smoothly. The satellite expects to be blast off within 2 years. Chang’e I moon satellite is made up of two major components: effective payloads and the satellite platform. The effective payloads will house a CCD 3-D camera, an imaging spectrograph, a solar cosmic rays monitor, and a low energy particle detector. The satellite will be built on the prototype of the Dongfanghong Ⅲ satellite system, with necessary adaptive modifications to the existing technologies and equipment in 8 sub-systems, including structures, boosting, power source, control and data transmission,.
The Chang’e I satellite will be launched in coming two years by the Long-March ⅢA carrier rocket from the Xi’chang Satellite Launch Center. When launched, the satellite is supposed to complete within 8 to 9 days its major actions, including orbiting adjustment, shifting from earth orbit to moon orbit, and moon orbiting. It will also work on 4 major scientific missions: obtaining 3-D moon surface images, analyzing the moons surface elements content and distributions of matter types, measuring the moon soil depth, and exploring earth-moon space environment. The former three tasks have never been dealt with in the world, with the last to be collected outside of the geostationary orbit, the fist of its kind performed by China.
Automatic Satellite Control Platform
An automatic satellite control system, independently developed by the Xi’an Satellite Control Center, was put into operation on November 15, 2004. The new system is designed to detect and fix the failures commonly seen in satellite operations. When the problems discovered go beyond the prescribed solutions, the system would send out a warning call. The new system allows a well trained individual to oversee the operations of a number of satellites at the same time, raised efficiency by several times.
Integrated with numerous important functions, including satellite operation diagnosis, control information management, measuring and planning coordination, the automatic satellite control platform has realized for the first time the automatic measuring and control of multiple satellites at the same time, allowing an immediate detection of abnormalities in satellite operation, and reduced manpower for satellite control. In addition to saving manpower, the new system also creates a new reliable approach for satellite control.
The development of the new system has resulted in the solutions to a number of key technologies relating to knowledge based diagnostic description of satellite performance, diagnostic inference, management of satellite control information and associated analysis. The new system had enabled the Center to spot and fix several dozens of abnormal operations of satellites in the three-year’ applications and testing.
Treating Breast Cancer with RNAi
A research team headed by YIN Qinwei, research fellow of the Institute of Biophysics , an affiliate to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has achieved encouraging results in treating animals’ breast cancers. The finding was published in the recent issue of the journal Cancer Genetic Therapy.
Researchers injected a kind of special small molecules into mice’s breast cancers, which resulted in “silencing” a cancer causing gene named “hdm2”. At the same time , the special molecules activated P53, a cancer suppressing gene dwelling in cells. The new process significantly enhances the protein expression of cancer suppressing genes, causing the decaying and dying of cancer cells. The animal experiments on 40 mice in 5 comparison groups show that cancer size can be reduced by 4/5 or even 9/10, compared with no-treatment groups. Further study also shows that the special small biomolecules are able to enhance its breast cancer cells killing when working together with other chemicals.
AIDS Drug Passed Verification
Zhongyan II, a traditional medicine developed by the Institute of Basic Theoretical Research, a part of the Chinese Academy of Traditional Medicines, has shown noticeably enhanced treating effects, since its applications in more than ten thousand AIDS patients. The clinic testing on 14 AIDS patients in July 2003 show that the new drug is not only of the functionality to enhance patients’ immunity- but also plays a role in restricting the spread of AIDS viruses, without causing side effects.
The Chinese Academy of Traditional Medicines is a research body who pioneered AIDS research in the earliest time in the country. Since 1991, it dispatched 33 experts in 8 groups to Tanzania, as agreed upon by an inter-governmental agreement, using Chinese traditional medicines to treat more than ten thousand AIDS patients there. Researchers, based on the long and systematic observations, eventually sorted out Zhongyan II as an AIDS drug having most desirable treating effects. In a research conducted during the period of 1998-2000, 44 AIDS patients ( 29 from Tanzania and 15 from China) were treated with the new drug. The 3-month clinic observation shows that the new drug has registered treating effects between 45% and 55%, without causing any toxicant side-effects.
AIDS Drug into Phase II Clinic Testing
The KEAITE capsule, a new Chinese made drug capable to fight AIDS viruses, has recently passed the verification check organized by the National Drug Verification Center, becoming the first Chinese traditional medicine approved by the State Food and Drug Administration to enter the phase II clinic AIDS treatment testing.
The new traditional drug, made of a number active elements extracted from marine creatures and plateau plants with special techniques, has since July 2001 been applied in 148 AIDS patients from Henan, Hebei and Beijing on a trial basis. Beijing Ditan Hospital tested the immunity indicators and AIDS viruses volume of 56 target AIDS patients in different age groups and development phases from the Shangcai County, Henan Province. The testing results show that the patients’ opportune infections and complications, after treatment with the new drug, have come to zero, with noticeably ascending immunity and greatly lowered number of AIDS viruses.
China Plans to Launch 100 More Satellites
China will blast off 100 more satellites before 2020, making China a solid member of the global earth observation satellite system, announced by XU Guanhua, the Chinese Minister of Science and Technology, at the 18th plenary session of the International Committee on Earth Observation Satellite. The satellites will be used for different social development purposes, including land resources, mapping, water resources, agriculture and urban planning. By building up a densely deployed observational network, those satellites will make China to “see any events and obtain the data it needs at any time and in any place”.
Mr. XU, also the chairman of the International Committee on Earth Observation Satellite, told reporters that the satellite based earth observation system is designed to combine all the technology and information resources available in earth observation, ensuring China to track down environmental changes in every corner of the world. Being part the system means China will greatly extend its international cooperation scale.
Everest and Fuoping Protection Enhanced
The Everest Peak and Fuoping, two more China’s national nature conservation zones were approved to be protected under the world biosphere protection network, at the 18th international coordination council meeting of the UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Program. Up to date, China has had its 26 conservation zones protected under the biosphere protection network.
As the world’s highest nature conservation zone physically located in the southern tip of the Tibet Autonomous Region, the Everest Conservation Zone covers an area embracing 4 counties, including Dingri, Dingjie, Nielamu and Jilong. The Fuoping Conservation Zone sits in the southern slop of the Qinling Mount’s middle section that is located on the territory of the Fuoping County, Shaan’xi Province. The conservation zone mainly protects panda and it's habitats.
Comments or inquiries on editorial matters or Newsletter content should be directed to:Mr. Mao Zhongying, Department of International Cooperation, MOST 15B, Fuxing Road Beijing 100862, PR China Tel: (8610)58881360 Fax: (8610) 58881364
http://www.most.gov.cn
