Scientias · Science

China's Tiangong Space Station Expanded with Baking Oven and Cultivation Module

The crew of China's Tiangong space station demonstrated a renewed kitchen module and cultivation module during an online lecture.

Tiangong's kitchen module has a convection oven that can be heated up to 190 degrees Celsius, allowing the crew to grill and bake. The menu has been expanded to more than 150 dishes. Astronauts on the ISS can currently only reheat meals.

The cultivation module contains sweet potatoes, mint, lettuce, and kale in a closed system. China has been growing crops in space since 2016, including rice and wheat.

The crew also demonstrated a ping-pong game with a water droplet, illustrating principles from fluid dynamics and aiming to motivate students.

China launched six new Earth observation satellites, the Yaogan series, for agricultural estimates, disaster prevention, and scientific experiments. This is part of an extensive reconnaissance network.

Chinese commercial companies are presenting plans for lunar exploration, with robots, rovers, and new rockets. This marks the growth of a commercial sector targeting the Moon.

The developments show the broad progress of China's space program: Tiangong is becoming more livable, the Yaogan satellites are expanding, and a commercial sector is focusing on the Moon.

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