ISSI-BJ organized on April 16th his third Understanding Science seminar very successfully at Bridge Café, a coffeehouse in Beijing’s university district Wudaokou. The lecture on “Space Observation of China: Past and New Achievements” was held by Prof. Ji Wu, director general of the National Space Science Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences. More than 60 young students listened to Prof. Wu’s explanation on how China’s space science has undergone a breathtaking development in exploration as well as experiment technologies, and accomplished many major missions during the past 50 years.

 

During his talk, Prof. Wu showed the history of the Chinese Space Observation, starting with the earliest records dating back to about 2,400 BC, “One of the first recorded Chinese space observations was a solar eclipse”. The Modern Space Program started in China during the 1950’s triggering very ambitious missions. However, Space Science didn’t receive remarkable attention until China realized its first manned space program in 2001. Prof. Wu further introduced accomplished milestone missions in China’s modern Space Science, like the Lunar Exploitation Program and the Geospace Double Star Program. Giving an outlook on future selected missions, like the Global Water Observation mission (WCOM), Magnetosphere, Ionosphere and Thermosphere mission (MIT) and the Einstein Probe, Prof. Wu closed his lecture and answered a number of questions from the audience, including both Chinese and foreigners.

"Understanding Science - Beijing" is organized by the UK Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), the Institute of Physics (IoP) of Chinese Academy of Sciences and the International Space Science Institute-Beijing. Its goal is to make a broader public aware of today’s accomplishments in research through short scientific lectures in English (popularization talks) as well as to have an opportunity to talk with either international or Chinese scientists currently carrying out research in China, in an informal, international and multidisciplinary environment.

About the speaker: Prof. Ji WU is the director general of the National Space Science Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the International Space Science Institute – Beijing.