Space Life Science of China

With the human space exploration activities, space life science is an emerging interdiscipline, which covers a wide range of researches. Based on our country's manned space station and recoverable satellite science experimental platform, the development of space life science research is very important to acquire new knowledge or new technological innovation, to give further services to the human space exploration activities, to improve the national economic and social development. Both ground-based and flight applied studies were continuously performed in the previous 2 years. Here, we review and summarize the researches on space life sciences contributed by Chinese scientists.      

Space Life Science of China in 2013

In the past two years, space life science research in China is characterized by a wide area of basic researches for providing foundation for the future China Space Station. The effect of microgravity and radiation was further studied from physiology phenomena to the level of bio-molecule mechanisms. Chinese space life science is maturing in a new era of comprehensive development. Here, we review and summarize researches on space life sciences which were contributed by Chinese scientists.      

中国空间生命科学40年回顾与展望

我国空间生命科学的探索起源于20世纪60年代,1981年随着空间生命专业委员会的正式成立,依托此专业的学术交流平台,空间生命科学进入多学科并进多机构建设的新阶段.随着中国载人航天及空间探索研究的深入发展,以分支学科或重大问题为牵引,我国在空间生命科学的几个重要领域取得了一系列关键成果.本文从发展历程、研究成果、平台模型、重大项目与后续展望等方面综述了我国空间生命科学40年的发展历程与标志性成果,为后续发展提供借鉴与参考.      

Space Life Science of China

In the past two years, China's space life science has made great progress. Space biomedical and life science programs have carried out ground-based research for the first batch of projects, and are preparing to carry out space-based experiments along with the construction of China's space station. And space life science payload of the space station completed the development of positive samples. Thus, with the development of lunar exploration and Mars exploration projects, astrobiology research has also made a lot of basic achievements. On the basis of summarizing the development of space life science in China, this paper mainly introduces the important progress of payload technology and life science research.      

Toward a global space exploration program: A stepping stone approach

In response to the growing importance of space exploration in future planning, the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) Panel on Exploration (PEX) was chartered to provide independent scientific advice to support the development of exploration programs and to safeguard the potential scientific assets of solar system objects. In this report, PEX elaborates a stepwise approach to achieve a new level of space cooperation that can help develop world-wide capabilities in space science and exploration and support a transition that will lead to a global space exploration program. The proposed stepping stones are intended to transcend cross-cultural barriers, leading to the development of technical interfaces and shared legal frameworks and fostering coordination and cooperation on a broad front. Input for this report was drawn from expertise provided by COSPAR Associates within the international community and via the contacts they maintain in various scientific entities. The report provides a summary and synthesis of science roadmaps and recommendations for planetary exploration produced by many national and international working groups, aiming to encourage and exploit synergies among similar programs. While science and technology represent the core and, often, the drivers for space exploration, several other disciplines and their stakeholders (Earth science, space law, and others) should be more robustly interlinked and involved than they have been to date. The report argues that a shared vision is crucial to this linkage, and to providing a direction that enables new countries and stakeholders to join and engage in the overall space exploration effort. Building a basic space technology capacity within a wider range of countries, ensuring new actors in space act responsibly, and increasing public awareness and engagement are concrete steps that can provide a broader interest in space exploration, worldwide, and build a solid basis for program sustainability. By engaging developing countries and emerging space nations in an international space exploration program, it will be possible to create a critical bottom-up support structure to support program continuity in the development and execution of future global space exploration frameworks. With a focus on stepping stones, COSPAR can support a global space exploration program that stimulates scientists in current and emerging spacefaring nations, and that will invite those in developing countries to participate—pursuing research aimed at answering outstanding questions about the origins and evolution of our solar system and life on Earth (and possibly elsewhere). COSPAR, in cooperation with national and international science foundations and space-related organizations, will advocate this stepping stone approach to enhance future cooperative space exploration efforts.     

未来的空间生命科学

本文分析了空间生命科学的发展战略,对21世纪初期的研究设想进行了概括,较详细地介绍了空间生命科学四个方面的内容:空间生理学和医学,包括空间医学、空间生理学、空间作业医学和人在空间的作用;空间生物学,包括重力生物学、可控生态生保系统、生物圈和地外生物学;空间站生物医学工程以及空间生物材料的加工生产。本文还讨论了各方面存在的主要问题和今后的发展趋向,特别强调了空间高枝术应用对促进国民经济发展的巨大潜力。     

空间物理学科发展战略研究

空间物理学是人类进入空间时代后迅速发展起来的一门新兴的多学科交叉的前沿基础学科。其将太阳和太阳风控制的日球层空间作为一个系统，研究太阳/太阳风与行星/彗星的上层大气、电离层、磁层乃至星际介质之间的相互作用。空间物理学从本质上讲是一门实验科学，空间物理探测是空间物理学发展的基础。进入新世纪，随着空间基础设施和人类高技术活动的日益频繁，空间物理学进入新的发展阶段，强调科学与应用的密切结合。近年来，空间物理学取得了一系列重要进展。本文对接国家自然科学基金委地球科学部“宜居地球-地球系统科学”的顶层战略设计，梳理总结近年来空间物理各学科发展动态和趋势，凝练中国空间物理学未来发展的重点领域，优化学科布局，推进空间物理各学科的高质量发展。     

深空探测磁动力技术研究进展

开展深空探测对人类研究宇宙起源与发展、生命存在与进化等重大科学问题具有重要的意义。深空探测有很多关键技术有待突破,先进推进技术是其中最为重要的一个。而可用于深空探测的无需携带推进剂的磁动力推进技术,是利用太阳系和宇宙中广泛存在的等离子体流,使探测器所携带的低密度超导材料制作的线圈通电,在探测器周围形成一个磁场区域,通过该磁场与太阳风等离子流相互作用产生推动力的一种先进技术。文章介绍了磁动力技术的国内外发展现状、磁帆与等离子体流增强型磁帆的基本原理、技术特点以及在未来深空探测中的潜在应用,为我国未来深空探测任务的工程实施提供一种新的方法。     

Strategic Priority Program on Space Science

In 1957, the launch of the first artificial satellite ushered in a new era for modern space science.The past 50 years' developments in China's space science have witnessed many major missions, and substantial progress has been achieved in space science study, exploration technology as well as experiment technology. Strategic Priority Program on Space Science was officially started in 2011. Through both self-developed space science missions and those with international cooperation,it is expected that the innovative breakthroughs will be realized, leapfrog development of related high-tech will be achieved to establish the important strategic status of space science in national development. To sum up, the implementation of the Strategic Priority Program on Space Science will definitely promote the rapid development of China's space science endeavor, making contributions to China's development and the progress of human civilization.      

Progress of Research on Origins of Life in China

The development of Chinese space science and technology plays a great role in promoting the researches in the field of the origin of life. With the multidisciplinary cooperation, there are fruitful achievements in this research field obtained over the past two years. This report summarizes the major progress of the basic researches about the origin of life in China during 2018-2020.      

The Space Sciences and Application Projects in Space Laboratory

Space sciences and application projects arranged in Tiangong-2 space laboratory and Tianzhou-1 cargo ship have been described in detail, covering research areas of the fundamental physics, space astronomy, microgravity fluid physics and materials science, space life science, and earth science. These experiments and researches will hopefully produce great scientific results and social benefits in several fields, including:universe evolution, quantum communication, material development, global climate change and earth environment, etc.      

中国空间探测领域40年发展

中国空间科学学会成立的40年,是中国空间探测逐渐走进世界舞台的40年,空间探测极大推动了空间科学和相邻学科的发展,也影响到经济、军事和日常生活诸多方面.本文简要回顾了从空间探测专业委员会成立的1980年至今,中国空间探测领域的主要发展历程,包括探空火箭、高空气球、科学卫星、月球与行星探测、载人航天空间探测、遥感卫星地面站等主要项目、进展和所取得的成果,对未来若干年空间探测的发展进行了展望.      

白宫发布的首份国家地月空间科技战略

地月空间为推进科学、技术和探索提供了巨大潜力，是人类活动的新区域。美国白宫科技政策办公室（OSTP）发布首份国家地月空间科技战略，为协调美国政府各部门及合作者在美国空间优先事项框架下开展负责任的、以和平为目的的、可持续的地月空间探索与利用，提供了早期共同愿景，并首次提出地月空间早期发展的4个最高优先级的科学和技术目标，包括:支持研究和开发，以实现未来地月空间的长期发展；扩大地月空间国际科技合作；将美国的空间态势感知能力拓展到地月空间；通过可扩展和可互操作的方式实施地月空间通信和定位、导航和授时，以促进地月空间科学发现、经济发展和国际合作。      

小行星探测发展综述

小天体上保存着太阳系形成初期的原始成分,同时可能蕴含着地球生命与水起源的重要线索,是研究太阳系起源和演化历史的活化石。近年来,小行星探测已成为主要航天国家深空探索领域的重点发展目标之一。简要总结了国际上小天体探测历程,对小行星探测的研究和发展趋势进行了综述,重点探讨了未来小行星探测任务面临的主要关键技术,并对中国后续开展小行星探测活动提出了相关建议。     

Science Researches of Chinese Manned Space Flight

With the complete success of the 2nd stage of Chinese Manned Space Program (CMSP), several science researches have been performed on Tiangong-1 experimental spacelab, which was docked with three Shenzhou spaceships one after another. The China's real spacelab, Tiangong-2 will be launched in 2015, docked with a Shenzhou spaceship soon. After six months, it will be docked with the first Chinese cargo ship (Tianzhou-1). More space science researches, involving with space biology, fluid physics, fundamental physics, materials science, Earth science, astronomy and space environmental science, will be operated on Tiangong-2 spacelab, and crewed and cargo spaceships. Furthermore, the considerable large-scale space utilization of Shina's Space Station is planned. The research fields include yet not limited to space medicine and physiology, space life science and biotechnology, fluid physics and combustion in microgravity, space material science, and fundamental physics in microgravity, space astronomy, Earth science, space physics and space environment utilization, technology demonstration.      

Science Research and Utilization Planning of China's Space Station in Operation Period 2022-2032

The core module of China's Space Station (CSS) is scheduled to be launched around the end of 2020, and the experimental module I and II will be launched in the next two years. After on-orbit constructions, CSS will be transferred into an operation period over 10 years (2022-2032 and beyond) to continuously implement space science missions. At present, based on the project selection and research work in the ground development period of CSS, China is systematically making a utilization mission planning for the operation period, which focuses on the fields of aerospace medicine and human research, space life science and biotechnology, microgravity fluid physics, combustion science, materials science, fundamental physics, space astronomy and astrophysics, Earth science, space physics and space environment, space application technology, etc. In combination with the latest development trend of space science and technology, China will continue to update planning for science research and technology development, carry out project cultivation, payload R&D, and upgrade onboard and ground experiment supporting systems to achieve greater comprehensive benefits in science, technology, economy, and society.      

Testing a Mars science outpost in the Antarctic dry valleys.

Field research conducted in the Antarctic has been providing insights about the nature of Mars in the science disciplines of exobiology and geology. Located in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of southern Victoria Land (160 degrees and 164 degrees E longitude and 76 degrees 30' and 78 degrees 30' S latitude), research outposts are inhabited by teams of 4-6 scientists. We propose that the design of these outposts be expanded to enable meaningful tests of many of the systems that will be needed for the successful conduct of exploration activities on Mars. Although there are some important differences between the environment in the Antarctic dry valleys and on Mars, the many similarities and particularly the field science activities, make the dry valleys a useful terrestrial analog to conditions on Mars. Three areas have been identified for testing at a small science outpost in the dry valleys; 1) studying human factors and physiology in an isolated environment; 2) testing emerging technologies (e.g., innovative power management systems, advanced life support facilities including partial bioregenerative life support systems for water recycling and food growth, telerobotics, etc.); and 3) conducting basic scientific research that will enhance our understanding of Mars while contributing to the planning for human exploration. We suggest that an important early result of a Mars habitat program will be the experience gained by interfacing humans and their supporting technology in a remote and stressful environment.     

新兴的人机与环境工程技术科学

围绕人-机-环境系统、飞行器环境控制和生命保障系统、环境模拟技术、空气调节技术4个方面,对国内外人机与环境工程科学研究进展情况作了综述;着重介绍了人-机-环境系统的计算机仿真、ECS制冷系统、航天器的生命保障系统、地面、空中及空间环境模拟技术、空气调节技术的最新发展方向和需要进一步研究的问题等,以期进一步推动该技术学科的研究和发展.     

中国深空探测任务轨道控制技术综述

深空探测作为人类航天活动的重要方向,是人类探索宇宙奥秘和寻求长久发展的必然途径,也是衡量一个国家综合国力和科学技术发展水平的重要标志。深空探测轨道控制技术作为决定深空探测任务成败的关键技术之一,越来越多地受到关注并得到应用,成为各国深空探测技术研究和发展的热点。以我国探月工程各次任务为脉络,简述了历次任务轨道控制的目标和实施效果,总结了主要技术创新,在此基础上,展望了我国未来深空探测轨道控制的发展趋势。     

Vision and Voyages for Deep Space Exploration

More than 50 years of space exploration has not only satisfied human curiosity and built up international cooperation, but also improved life on Earth. Space exploration is an open-ended process which started 50 years ago. It enables access to unknown terrains with robots and humans, thereby opening new frontiers. Progress of goal deep space exploration was reviewed. China's current deep space missions are also briefly introduced. Focused on the vision and voyages for China's deep space exploration in 5 or 10 years. Like the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP), we embark on a journey to Mars. We will spend few decades on Mars with the robotic explorers. Unlike CLEP, scientists proposed to build Moon research station by 2030.