Space Technology in Daily Use

WHEN thinking of space technology, what pops into many Chinese people’s minds are the Long March carrier rocket, Chang’e lunar probe, Shenzhou spacecraft or Fengyun meteorological satellite, all of which are very far removed from everyday life. However, on closer examination, the technologies behind these aerospace machines are now being used in people’s day-to-day activities, bringing greater convenience and efficiency as they are to become part of humanity’s future.

-  DANG XIAOFEI

Saving Time in Travel

During the Labor Day holiday, Liu Qiang, a resident of Beijing, and his family drove to the countryside to do some hiking. Before starting the car, he turned on its navigation system and typed in his destination. In a second, the optimal route appeared on the screen, allowing him to avoid the congested traffic sections. This navigation service is supported by the BeiDou satellite system, or BDS, which is independently developed and deployed by China. BDS now provides accurate positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services under all weather conditions to people worldwide. Starting in 1994 with BDS-1 and up to 2020 with BDS-3, the system was completed after the launching of 59 satellites, including 55 navigation satellites and four navigation test satellites.

“When connected to the BeiDou navigation system, my car will sound an alarm when I deviate from the set route, Overspeed, and overload. This makes driving smarter and safer,” Liu told China Today. The BDS services are critical to the development of smart vehicles, as accurate positioning is the basis for context recognition of such vehicles and data collection for high-precision maps.

As the sun’s rays became stronger, Liu put on the smart glasses he recently bought, which can automatically change lens color according to the intensity of sunlight. Such smartness comes from another aspect of space technology — gallium arsenide solar cells, which are also originally used in satellites. These cells turn light into electricity, and thereby power the chip in the sunglasses to induce color-changing of the light-sensitive liquid crystal lens.