Chinese astronauts aboard the Tiangong space station are studying anaerobic archaea in an experiment to determine whether some of Earth's earliest life forms can withstand a simulated cosmic environment.
The 18 crew members of the Shenzhou (Commander Ye Guangfu and crewmates Li Cong and Li Guangsu) were on board the Tiangong space station Since the end of April and I've been busy performing space walks and conduct experiments.
This scientific work includes research into the damage caused by space radiation and the adaptability of anaerobic archaea, as shown in a newly released video.
Archaea are a group of single-celled organisms and one of the oldest life forms on Earth. The archaea used in the Tiangong experiment consume hydrogen and carbon dioxide, which in turn produces methane as waste.
The research aims to test its survival under Mars-similar conditions and extreme cosmic radiation, which contributes to the search for extraterrestrial lifeaccording to a report by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
Methane, a potential biomarker but also a gas produced by geological processes, has been detected on Mars on numerous occasions and is of great interest to scientists. experiments have been sent to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the investigation into the possibility of life beyond Earth.
The anaerobic archaea were delivered to the space station aboard the Tianzhou 7 cargo spacecraft earlier this year and have been housed in a small centrifuge module aboard the Tiangong.
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In the meantime, Ye Guangfu and his team have been working on a wide range of other experiments and maintenance tasks. This includes replacing samples in fluid physics cabinets and cabinets without containers, performing vacuum operations on the combustion chamber, and conducting experiments related to microgravity Fluid physics, combustion science and space materials science.
Other recent tests include pharmacokinetic studies to assess the impact of long-duration spaceflight on the human body and provide a reference for in-orbit medication, CCTV reported.
China completed construction of Tiangong in late 2022 and aims to keep the orbital outpost permanently occupied and conducting experiments for at least a decade. Incoming Shenzhou 19 astronauts are expected to blast off to Tiangong around November. They will replace the current crew, who will return to Earth after a few days of sharing the space station.