BEIJING, April 19 (Xinhua) -- The following is a summary of recent science and technology news briefs.
CHANG'E-6 MISSION
China announced the cooperation plan for its future Chang'e-6 mission, offering to carry a total of 20 kg of solicited payloads, according to the China National Space Administration on Thursday.
The orbiter and lander of the Chang'e-6 mission will each reserve 10 kg for payloads, which will be selected from both domestic colleges, universities, private enterprises and foreign scientific research institutions.
ASTEROID EXPLORATION
China on Thursday unveiled its plan to explore an asteroid and a comet, inviting scientists around the world to participate in the program.
The mission will involve exploring a near-Earth asteroid, named 2016HO3, and a main-belt comet, named 133P, according to the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the China National Space Administration.
HUMIDITY-RESPONSIVE SMART TEXTILE
A new study published in the international journal Advanced Functional Materials said that scientists using silkworm silk have developed a smart textile that can automatically contract and stretch with humidity changes.
According to the study, the sleeves made from such smart textile can shrink as much as 45 percent in the vertical direction when exposed to moisture or sweat and then recover to its initial length when the environment becomes dry.
RICE STRAW, SUNLIGHT TO CLEAN WATER
Chinese scientists have developed an innovative desalination technology that uses rice straw and sunlight for clean water production.
Solar steam generation is considered to be a promising strategy for purification of wastewater and seawater. Scientists from the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a solar steam-generation device from wasted rice straw.
