China to Build First Mars Simulation Base

Chinas first Mars simulation base will be built in Qinghai， Northwest China.

Located in the Dachaidan Hongya region of Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture， in the hinterland of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau， the base is planned to be established in the Qaidam Basin. The areas landforms， natural landscape and climate conditions closely resemble those of Mars.

Spread over 95，000 square kilometers of desert， the area has Chinas largest Yadan landform （dry areas shaped by wind erosion）.

Located near many tourist attractions along the Hexi Corridor， part of the Silk Road in Gansu Province， the Mars simulation base will become a cultural and tourist experience combining elements of science， science fiction， nature， ecology， and culture， said Liu Xiaoqun， director of the Lunar and Deep Space Exploration Department at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The base will comprise two functional areas – “Mars community” and “Mars campsite” – connected by road but invisible to each other.

As the first of its kind in China， the base will meet the need for a practical science education center spanning the fields of space， astronomy， geology， meteorology， and new energy.

Atomic Clock Developed for Beidou System

China is developing a new generation of atomic clock， which it plans to integrate into the Beidou Navigation Satellite System， according to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation （CASTC）.

The microwave mercury ion clock is currently one of the most accurate tools for measuring time by tracking atomic movement in the microwave range， explained Wang Nuanrang， project leader at CASTC. It can provide extremely precise measurements of time that can be used in the fields of deep space exploration and satellite navigation.

Wang said that scientists are aiming to establish an experimental mercury ion clock system within the next four years， to conduct scientific tests promoting the development of the Beidou system. Since 2012， Chinas homegrown Beidou system has provided navigation， time， and text messaging services throughout the Asia Pacific region.

By 2020， Beidou satellites will form a complete global satellite navigation system， according to the China Satellite Navigation System Committee.

100-million-year-old Dinosaur Footprint Fossils Discovered in East Chinaendprint

Chinese paleontologists have announced the discovery of a group of dinosaur footprints in Zhejiang Province， Southeast China， that are nearly 100 million years old.

The fossils， scattered on a hill near Yiwu City， are believed to be the largest group of fossilized dinosaur footprints found in Southeast China， according to researchers from the Zhejiang Museum of Natural History. They were first spotted in 2007， and a survey began in 2014. So far， more than 80 fossil footprints have been found.

The footprints， dating back to the early late Cretaceous period， belong to theropods， sauropods， pterosaurs， and other dinosaurs， according to Jin Xingsheng， deputy curator of the museum. Theropod footprints are usually less than 20 centimeters long， while those of sauropods can be as long as one meter. Most fossils in the collection were lone footprints. However， some of the ornithopod footprints appeared in pairs， illustrating how the dinosaur walked.

Dinosaur footprint fossils contain information not found in skeleton fossils， which can aid research on biodiversity and biological migration and behavior， as well as the evolution of ancient creatures， Jin said. He added that the site could be developed into a scientific visitor base.

Beijing Hosts World Robotics Conference

Nearly 300 artificial intelligence specialists and representatives from over 150 robot technology companies gathered in Beijing from August 23 to 27 for the World Robot Conference 2017.

Delegates from universities， research institutions， and enterprises discussed opportunities in the robotics industry， said Luo Junjie， an official from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology （MIIT）.

The event featured a three-day forum， an exhibition and a series of competitions.

The conference was hosted by the Beijing municipal government， MIIT and the China Association for Science and Technology. Since it was established in 2015， the World Robot Conference has become the biggest and most international event in the industry.

China has been the worlds largest producer of industrial robots for the last three years， and now accounts for 25 percent of global production.“Chinas robotics development is on the fast track， but many enterprises are small and weak in R&D and innovation capability，” Luo said. “It is a problem we need to tackle.”endprint