BEIJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The following is a summary of recent science news briefs.
FAST
An international team of astronomers are making observation plans for the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), by far the largest telescope ever built, expecting discoveries to change human understanding of the universe.
Scientists have proposed ambitious observational objectives through FAST, such as gravitational waves, exoplanets, ultra-high energy cosmic rays and interstellar matter, to advance human knowledge of astronomy, astrophysics and fundamental physics.
GREEN SUPER RICE
Chinese agriculture scientists have bred new rice varieties named "Green Super Rice (GSR)" for developing Asian and African countries to reduce hunger and increase local farmers' income.
Supported by the Chinese government and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the project has bred 78 GSR varieties for 18 countries with a total grown area of 6.12 million hectares since its launch in 2008, hoping to benefit 30 million resource-poor smallholder rice farmers in Asia and Africa.
ROCKET ENGINE TEST
China's first carrier rocket for commercial use, the Smart Dragon-1 (SD-1), has finished its engine test, paving way for its maiden flight in the first half of 2019, according to the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT).
The rocket is the first member of the Dragon series commercial carrier rockets family to be produced by CALT. It has a total length of 19.5 meters, a diameter of 1.2 meters and a takeoff weight of 23.1 tonnes. It is capable of sending over 150 kg payloads to the sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 700 km. Enditem
