How do plants grow in space? An experiment (实验) on the Tiangong space station can provide the answer. Chinese astronauts have successfully grown rice in space. This makes it possible for astronauts to grow food to support long-term space stays.
“The rice plants are growing very well,” Zheng Huiqiong, a scientist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told China Daily. Since the rice experiment began on July 29, the plants of the tall shoot rice have reached a height of about 30 cm. They’re much taller than the box, which is about 14 cm. Plus, the plants of the dwarf rice (短杆水稻) have grown to around 5 cm.
Although there have been other rice experiments in space, the one on Tiangong is different. For the first time in history, the experiment aims to produce the whole life cycle (周期) of the rice. It begins with a seed (种子) and ends with new seeds produced.
The astronauts will keep watching the plants. If the experiment is successful, they will collect the newly produced seeds and bring them back to Earth for further studies, Zheng added.
Since the 1980s, China has been taking the seeds of crops to space. But growing rice in space is a different challenge because of the bad conditions of space. Micro-gravity, no enough air and high-energy space rays may make the plants difficult to grow.
Rice has been a main food for astronauts for a long time. US astronauts on the Apollo 11-the first humans to land on the moon in July 1969-ate cold dried chicken and rice during their trip to space.
If such an experiment goes well, astronauts will be able to plant their food in space. They don’t need to take a large number of food with them for their space travels.
【小题1】How tall can the plants of the tall shoot rice reach in Tiangong experiment?| A．5 cm. | B．14 cm. | C．30 cm. | D．50 cm. |
| A．It’s the first time to plant rice in space. |
| B．We may get new seeds at the end of it. |
| C．It can change the bad conditions in space. |
| D．It can provide enough food for space trips. |
| A．The astronauts. | B．The rice plants. | C．The rice seeds. | D．The studies. |
| A．Taking astronauts to Tiangong. | B．Landing on the moon. |
| C．Offering astronauts new food. | D．Planting for space success. |
