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Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Hung Hom, Hong Kong

Press Contact:

Dr Chris Wong Ho-ching
Director, Industrial Centre
PolyU
Tel: 2766 7599

2 June 2003

HK-made space tools get set for Mars

A European Space Agency (ESA) spacecraft, carrying a rock sampling
tool jointly developed by a local dentist and leading engineers of
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has been launched this
morning [3 June] from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

If the mission goes as planned and the spacecraft's Lander "Beagle 2"
lands on Mars in late December 2003, this sophisticated space tool
will become the first Chinese made instrument to touch the soil of a
planet outside the Earth. 

The PolyU-made sampling tool, known as the Mars Rock Corer, is
considered the most important tool to help unlock the mystery of
exobiology on the planet as it will be the first ever tool to drill
into the surface of Mars. 

The project is the joint effort of a 12 member team led by five
Principal Investigators, Dr Ng Tze-chuen, a dentist and a University
Fellow of PolyU, Prof.Yung Kai-leung, Dr Chris Wong Ho-ching and Mr
Yu Chun-ho of PolyU; and Mr Chan Chiu-cheung, an independent
engineer. The Corer was produced by skilled engineering staff using
state-of-the-art facilities at the PolyU Industrial Centre. Prof.
Yang Chen-ning, Nobel Laureate in Physics, is the Scientific Advisor
of the project (Please refer to the Appendix for the full list of
team members).

The development of the Mars Rock Corer and its predecessor the Space
Holinser Forceps has come a long way. The Holinser Forceps,
originated from a pair of dental forceps, were developed by PolyU
engineers from a concept initiated by Dr Ng. The idea was developed
into the Space Forceps System which consists of 70 inter-connectable
components for used by astronauts in Space. In 1995, four sets of
Holinser Forceps were ordered by the Russian Space Agency for use by
astronauts in precision soldering at the then MIR Space Station.

Following their initial success, the team further ventured into
interplanetary sampling and developed the multi-functional Mars Rock
Corer which can grind, drill, core and grip rock samples, with energy
consumption as low as two watts and weighs 370 grams only -- much
lighter and energy-efficient than other similar instruments.

The device has cleverly integrated characteristics of Chinese
chopsticks into the design for effective retrieval of samples from
inside of rocks. The device has eventually been accepted by the ESA,
leading to Hong Kong's involvement in the Mars Express Mission.

The Mars Express Mission comprises a number of essential components
including an orbiter and the Beagle 2 Lander -- where the Mars Rock
Corer and other scientific instruments are installed. The orbiter
will deploy the Lander on the Martian surface and stay in its orbit
for sub-surface water search. The Lander will then serve as a relay
station for a series of remote sensing experiments to shed new light
on the Martian atmosphere and its geology. As a main task of the Mars
Express Mission is to search for signs of life in the rocks of the
planet, the Mars Rock Corer could therefore become the first
instrument to encounter life on a planet outside the Earth.

For more information about the Mars Express Mission, the Beagle 2
Lander and the Mars Rock Corer, please visit the website of ESA at

      http://www.sci.esa.int
      http://www.beagle2.com
and
      http://www.hkmars.net

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