At the end of last week, a year-long experiment to test 407 material samples in outer space was completed at the Chinese orbital station. These tests are needed to find a wide range of materials, both structural and technological, that are resistant to vacuum conditions, cosmic radiation and temperature changes. China intends to quickly explore near and far space, and this can only be done with a clear understanding of suitable materials.
A special open container with samples was placed outside the Chinese Tiangong station on March 8, 2023. On March 14, 2024, a robotic arm grabbed the container and moved it to the station's airlock, from where the next day the taikonauts moved it to one of the station's scientific compartments. Over the coming weeks, the images will be extracted, labeled and prepared to be sent back to Earth for scientists to analyze the materials and draw conclusions.
In May, the container filled with new samples will be placed overboard the station again to test the next batch of samples. The new samples were delivered aboard the station in January on the Tianzhou 7 cargo ship. It is reported that, among other materials, materials for passive radiation cooling, various combinations of materials based on polyamide fibers, materials from optical fibers and materials from optical films will be sent into the harsh environment of space. China is confidently moving towards creating a permanent presence base on the Moon and intends to clearly understand what it can be built from and what it cannot be used from.
If you notice an error, select it with the mouse and press CTRL+ENTER.