Life on Mars: Beijing students take part in two hundred day space station similation

Record ID: 898671

  • Title: Life on Mars: Beijing students take part in two hundred day space station similation
  • Date: 9th July 2017
  • Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (JULY 9, 2017) (REUTERS) GENERAL DESIGNER AND PRINCIPAL SCIENTIST OF THE LUNAR PALACE ONE, PROFESSOR LIU HONG, WATCHING PROJECT IN MONITORING CENTRE MONITORING SCREEN (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) GENERAL DESIGNER AND PRINCIPAL SCIENTIST OF THE LUNAR PALACE ONE, LIU HONG, SAYING: "Humans are the main focus of the system that is a very important difference between our system and the earth's system, so in designing this system humans are the main focus so everything revolves around the needs of humans, we need to be able to create a cycle providing the water oxygen and food that humans need. So for example the photosynthesis of plants will take in carbon dioxide and create oxygen, and through our research (we've) designed it so this oxygen is exactly enough to satisfy the humans, the animals we've cultivating and the organisms that break down the waste materials."
  • Embargoed: 23rd July 2017 08:23
  • Keywords: Moon Palace students space simulation
  • Location: BEIJING, CHINA
  • City: BEIJING, CHINA
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Science
  • Reuters ID: LVA0036OZV685
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Sealed behind the steel doors of two bunkers in a Beijing suburb, a group of students are attempting to recreate life on another planet.
    They are part of a project initiated by the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, which tries to produce a closed ecosystem that can provide for all man's needs, and, crucially, that can be self sustaining.
    China is keen to test the ability for future astronauts to stay on the moon for extended periods, as Beijing accelerates its space program and looks to put people on the surface of the moon within the next two decades.
    President Xi Jinping has called for China to become a global power in space exploration, with plans to send a probe to the dark side of the moon by 2018, the first ever such trip, and to put astronauts on the moon by 2036.
    Everything from the off-cuttings of plants raised by the students in two UV labs to urine is reused in the project. All inputs needed for human survival have been carefully calculated, making the entire system 97 percent sustainable, reckons Professor Liu Hong, the principal designer of the project.
    While satisfying man's physical needs is a relatively straightforward matter, a large part of the project revolves around charting the mental impact being confined in a small space for such a long period of time.
    The project's support team have found mapping out a specific set of tasks for the students to achieve each day is one way that helps them remain happy. There's also a rigourous selection process.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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