Apr 07, 2013 |
China conducts first space science active experiment
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(Nanowerk News) China's first space science active experiment was conducted Friday morning to study the dynamical processes of the Earth's ionosphere, a top scientific institute said.
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The experiment conducted at a sounding rocket launch site in Danzhou, south China's Hainan Province, will provide in-situ measurements for studying the vertical distribution of space environment, said Wu Ji, director of the National Space Science Center of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
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The vertical exploration test was completed with the help of a sounding rocket, which released a kilogram of powdered barium into the ionosphere at a height of 200 kilometers from the ground, Wu said.
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The rocket, manufactured by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, carried three kinds of detecting instruments in the eight-minute flight, including a Langmuir probe, an electric field probe, and a barium powder releaser.
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The CAS's Hainan Sounding Rocket Launching Site close to the equator, was established in 1986. In addition to launching sounding rockets, it deploys more than 10 ground-based space environment observational instruments.
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