The experimental rice seeds reached the space station aboard Shenzhou-23 in May this year, including ordinary seeds and Earth-grown descendants of space-grown seeds harvested in 2022.
Translated paragraph context
This batch of experimental rice seeds entered the space station aboard the Shenzhou-23 crewed spacecraft in May this year. It includes ordinary seeds that had never been to space, as well as rice seeds bred on Earth from "space seeds" harvested from the space station in 2022. The experiment has four units, with six seeds sown in each. The four units are divided into two groups using sexual reproduction and two using vegetative reproduction, to compare differences in the adaptability of these two methods to the space environment. It is understood that the samples collected this time will subsequently return to Earth aboard the Shenzhou-23 return capsule. Scientists will conduct comprehensive analyses at the phenotypic and molecular levels to determine the mechanisms by which long-term space microgravity affects rice's genetic stability. In the future, this is expected to make "in situ" extraterrestrial food production possible—that is, growing grain locally in space in a self-sustaining cycle—providing crucial support for human survival on journeys farther into deep space.
Original Chinese quote
这批实验稻种是今年5月随神舟二十三号载人飞船进入空间站,包括从未上过天的普通种子,以及2022年从空间站收获的“太空种子”回到地面后繁育的稻种
Read matching source paragraph →