The article comes from the official WeChat account of the Science Institute (ID: Xue Kedayuan).
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For a long time, there are thousands of satellites in space, but there is only one space station, and that is the International Space Station. It is jointly operated by NASA, Russian Space Agency, ESA, JAXA and CSA. In the past 20 years, the International Space Station has received 239 brave explorers and conducted more than 2,700 scientific experiments.
For some reasons, the International Space Station does not welcome China's participation, and China's space power has already ranked among the top in the world.
However, it's not that spring stands out, but that spring is full of flowers. Soon, this situation will be broken!
According to the plan, China will launch the core module of the space station in 2020. This is the third step of the "three-step" strategy of China's manned spaceflight project-the space station mission stage, that is, building a space station with international advanced level in space to solve the problem of large-scale space application that has been taken care of for a long time. It is planned to be completed around 2022, and its core module is expected to be launched this year.
Although they don't take us to play, it doesn't mean that we can't learn from their advanced experience. Let's follow the camera and see what groundbreaking research has been carried out on the 20 19 international space station!
"Man, know yourself."
"Man, know yourself" is a famous saying engraved on the temple of Apollo in Greece. Knowing yourself is not only a philosophical issue in personal life, but also the highlight of scientific research on the International Space Station. There are many life science explorations here, especially the research on some diseases, and the results will benefit thousands of people on the earth.
Want organs? The printed kind!
Christina Koch, a NASA astronaut, founded the Biological Manufacturing Facility (BFF). Scientists and medical scientists have long dreamed of using 3D bio-printers to make human organs. However, it turns out that it is very difficult to print out the tiny and complex structures inside human organs under the action of gravity. BFF can explore whether human organs can be manufactured by 3D printing in the microgravity environment of space.
Will long-term flight increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease?
Luca Parmitano, an astronaut of the European Space Agency (ESA), holds a small blue hat jar with amyloid aggregates in it. Amyloid fiber is a kind of protein that can aggregate in the body, which is related to many neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. This neurodegenerative disease is a potential risk for astronauts who fly long distances. This study is evaluating whether microgravity will affect the formation of these fibers.
Explore new cancer treatments.
Christina Koch, a flight engineer at NASA, is using a microscope to observe and photograph the growth samples of protein crystals. Microgravity crystal research has crystallized a membrane protein, which is indispensable for tumor growth and cancer survival. For this kind of protein, the research results may help to develop more effective cancer therapy with fewer side effects.
The perception of time has become unreliable?
Do you feel that time flies or days are like years in space? David Saint Jacques, an astronaut of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), conducted a research experiment on time perception in microgravity. When astronauts put on the monitor, they will see blue squares, and then they will tell how long these squares have been displayed, so as to measure and analyze the subjective changes of human perception of time in microgravity for a long time.
The experimental results show that people will feel that time passes faster in space, which should be regarded as good news, and the long space travel in the future seems to be better.
Red blood cells and white blood cells
NASA astronaut Anne McClane holds biomedical equipment for bone marrow experiments. This study measured the changes of fat in bone marrow before and after microgravity, and also measured the specific changes of red blood cells and white blood cells.
How to eat more vegetables in space
Jessica Mayer, a NASA astronaut, watered the culture medium of wild mustard on the space station and ate the vegetables after harvest. This study focuses on the effects of light quality and fertilizer on leafy crops.
In space, microgravity may delay the growth of plants. Because there is no gravity, the transpiration of plants will be affected. The water vapor that was originally lost to the atmosphere through leaves will adhere to the leaves for a longer time. Transpiration can reduce the temperature of plants and is the main driving force for plants to absorb and transport water. In addition, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the spacecraft plant incubator is much higher than that of the earth, and plants growing in high carbon dioxide environment will lose their nutritional value, and their zinc, iron and vitamins will also decrease. Many factors combined, the yield and nutrition of plants have declined. Therefore, how to grow green plants safely, efficiently and reasonably in space and form a fresh food supply system is the top priority of space research.
Building better bones in space
Nick Haig, a NASA astronaut, operates the life science glove box (LSG) in the Japanese "Hope" experimental cabin. He is conducting the scientific operation of the experiment of bone healing and tissue regeneration. This study can make people better understand the factors that affect tissue regeneration and help to counter the loss of bone density experienced by astronauts in space.
Perceptual rhythm
The picture shows NASA astronaut Anne McClane floating in the hall between the Harmony and Destiny experimental modules. Wearing a sensor on her forehead, she is collecting data from the circadian rhythm experiment, which can study how the astronaut's "biological clock" changes during the long-term space flight.
"If a worker wants to do a good job, he must sharpen his tools first."
Using tools is not the fundamental difference between humans and animals, but creating tools is. How to make our tools more satisfactory, the materials used to make tools more suitable and the operation methods more advanced is the unremitting pursuit of people. The microgravity environment of the International Space Station has brought researchers new research perspectives and experimental methods, and has also become a training ground for testing cutting-edge technologies.
"low temperature cold chain transportation"
Astronauts Christina Koch and Andrew Morgan of NASA put biological research samples into the scientific refrigerator in the experimental cabin of American Destiny. Although the specific cost is not disclosed, there is no doubt that this must be the most expensive refrigerator in the world. Storing scientific samples in refrigeration equipment, such as the experimental cryocooler (glacier) of the International Space Station, is very important for preserving scientific data generated in space and returning it to Earth for researchers' analysis.
Test material life
NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Anne McClain installed "MISSE-FF" in the airlock of Kibo experimental cabin in Japan, and then decompressed the equipment. MISSE-FF is equipped with a new material exposure experiment to be conducted outside Kibo cabin. The International Space Station Material Test (MISSE) mission is an international space station test mission specially set up for material irradiation test. It started at 200 1, which can verify the life of materials used for spacecraft development. This study will help scientists understand how radiation, space vacuum environment and micrometeoroids will affect various materials.
Mining with microorganisms?
Luca Pamitano, an astronaut of the European Space Agency, installed a bio-mining reactor in the incubator of kubik as part of the study of bio-rocks. Biomining is the exploitation of useful minerals and metals from solid rocks by using the power of microorganisms, which is very common on the earth. Biorock research is the first time to study how microorganisms grow and change planetary rocks under microgravity and simulated Martian gravity conditions.
Safe combustion experiment
One of the tasks of ISS staff is to operate and maintain scientific hardware. In the above picture, NASA astronaut Jessica Mayer is studying the Combustible Integrated Support (CIR), which can carry out combustion experiments in microgravity. CIR, together with facilities such as microgravity science glove box, has created a solid and safe environment for astronauts to conduct combustion research without danger.
This special flame is one of many flames ignited in the study of "flame design" in CIR, which aims to study the amount of smoke and dust produced under different conditions. The yellow dot is a gray mass, which glows yellow when it is hot. These clusters are bigger in microgravity than on earth, because soot stays in flames for longer.
Every cell is trying to adapt to space.
Andrew Morgan, an astronaut of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), used the multi-purpose variable G platform (MVP) to conduct research on the space station, trying to understand how organisms adapt to the space environment, which is an important part of future space exploration. The platform can study various small organisms, including fruit flies, flatworms, plants, fish, cells, protein crystals and so on.
Busy bees
David Saint Jacques, an astronaut of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), is working with Astrobee, a small cuboid robot named Bumble, which can fly freely on the space station. Astrobee consists of three independent free-flying robots (Bumble, Honey and Queen) and a docking station. Because GPS is not easy to use in space, Astrobees needs to rely on a camera-based positioning system, which is driven by a fan and can move freely in any direction.
An important spacewalk.
NASA astronaut andre morgan waved to repair the cosmic particle detector during the first spacewalk. He seems to be standing between the Alpha Electromagnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02) and other space station hardware. AMS provides data for hundreds of researchers around the world, which can help them understand the mysteries of "what the universe is made of" and "how the universe began". Due to exposure to the harsh space environment, AMS needs to be upgraded to continue collecting data.
"Little brother, it's all arranged!"
Perfect photography opportunity
Students participating in the "Sally Ride EarthKAM" project will catch up with the HTV-8 cargo ship of JAXA, which is the best opportunity to transport science and materials to the space station. "Sally Ride Earth Cam" is an educational project established by Sally Ride, the first American woman to go into space. It is remotely programmed by middle school students, allowing students to photograph and analyze our earth from the perspective of the space station. Students can take pictures of mountains, rivers and other interesting geographical locations and topography of the earth by controlling special digital cameras on the space station. The magnificent work above comes from the "Sally Ride Earthquake" project.
All the happiness and excitement? Weak!
These two football-sized guys in the picture look a bit like Lego thinking storm. They are not simple. Their full names are called "synchronous positioning, execution and redirection experimental satellites", that is, spheres-synchronized position hold, engage, redirection and experimental satellites. NASA flight engineer astronaut Alexander Skvortsov and astronaut Andrew Morgan are floating in the space station with spherical robot spheres to test the technology of small spacecraft. Astronauts are running the code from Spheres "Zero Robotics" 2065438+09 middle school summer project participants. This project can test the algorithm developed by students and choose the best design from the competition to operate the robot on the space station.
Keep in touch when you are in space!
During the amateur radio conference on the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Nick Haig from Europe floated in the Columbus experimental module. He used the call sign "NA 1SS" of the International Space Station. The amateur radio project of the International Space Station provides students with the opportunity to talk directly with astronauts in orbit by radio.
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These are just a few of the many scientific studies currently being carried out in the laboratory of the International Space Station. From planting green leafy vegetables in microgravity, analyzing mining microorganisms and testing autonomous robots, these studies can not only benefit people on earth, but also lay the foundation for future space exploration.
On June 8, 2020, China Manned Space Engineering Office announced that China's space station system has completed the production of prototype products and is carrying out the final assembly integration test. The overall name of China's manned space station is "Tiangong", and the names of each module and cargo spacecraft are as follows: the core module is named "Tianhe" with the code name "TH"; The experimental module I is named "Ask Heaven" and code-named "WT"; The second experimental module is named "Sky Survey" with code name "XT"; This cargo ship was named "Tianzhou" and code-named "TZ".
Tiangong, Tianhe, candlestick, sky survey and tianzhou, just looking at these names makes people excited.
One day, in China's own space station, China scientists will also be able to use the unique power of the space environment to carry out rich scientific research and benefit mankind through wisdom and efforts. Let's look forward to that day!
Reference:
https://www . NASA . gov/mission _ pages/station/research/news/2065 438+09-space-station-research-in-pictures
Source: Science Courtyard