China is to send a kilogram of rice seed grain to the International
Space Station (ISS) next year to test how they are affected by
conditions in space.
This experiment, which will be China's first with the aid of the
ISS, is a research project concerning space seed cultivation
conducted by the prestigious Harbin Polytechnical University in
China's northernmost Heilongjiang
Province.
Chinese scientists will closely monitor possible changes in the
seeds in outer space as they adjust to zero gravity and heavy
particles, hoping to accumulate valuable information on upgrading
rice varieties.
Before turning to the ISS for space experiments, Chinese scientists
have used satellites, which have no life-support systems, and space
vehicles, which can support life, to carry seeds trains of rice,
maize and flowers, with the former able to stay in outer space for
just half a month and the latter only seven or eight days.
However, the seeds in the ISS will stay long enough to fully "feel"
the impact of the space, said a teacher participating in there
search project.
The ISS is actively seeking cooperative partners to share the
enormous costs of the project.
Blaming construction delays, the participating nations have
contributed US$40 billion to date, far more than the initial budget
of US$8.3 billion. It is expected to cost another US$65 billion to
operate the ISS in the next 10 to 15 years.
The European Union, Japan and Canada have all hinted to China their
wish to rent ISS room to Chinese scientific institutions, which
would help recover some of the huge investment.
(Xinhua News Agency December 4, 2002)