China's manned spacecraft technology progressing

The Astronaut Center of China has successfully completed a 30-day self-sufficient space habitat testing program. The successful program raises China's manned spacecraft technology to a higher level.

The two participants in the trial lived in a 36 square meter space-simulator for 30 days. The oxygen they breathed was produced by the plants grown within the simulator. The participants' urine was processed to irrigate the plants, so as to create a balanced ecosystem within the simulator.

By implementing a comprehensive waste-water disposal system, the simulation is able to achieve 100 percent self-sufficiency of air. Experts at the Astronaut Center of China say by reducing supplies from the outside, this self-sufficient technology is essential to solving long-term manned space travel.