From tomorrow, visitors to the Millennium Monument will have the chance to learn and look at all things scientific. The week-long event will enable the audience to talk to Nobel Prize winners and take a peak at what is happening in scientific research across the world.

A prominent exhibition at the event is on a future expedition to Mars, which has become a vision for Chinese scientists. A six-wheel robotic detector which could be sent to Mars has been developed by Chinese scientists and will be made public for the first time at the event.

China is now engaged in an ambitious project to the Moon, having completed two successful trial launches of spacecrafts.

Although the dream of landing on Mars may still be a long way off, China should develop related technologies now, said Xie Yuan, a spokesman for the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a sponsors of the event.

The "Shenzhou III" spacecraft, which wrapped up its mission into outer space in early April, will go public at the event.

Some experimental samples taken by the spacecraft in outer space will be on display.

"People can actually touch science here," Xie said.

Microsoft will present its cutting-edge Virtual Reality (VR) technology, which has been a popular research area with enormous potential in areas like tele-education and movie-making.

The incorporation of VR technology with computer systems will create more vivid exchanges between humans and computers as well as between humans themselves.

The major aim of the event is not limited to just delivering scientific knowledge to the public, but also aims to show them the fun side of science, said Dong Guangbi, chief counsel for the event.

Dong, a senior researcher of natural science history, hopes the public may understand that "science is pure, smart and fun."

(China Daily May 16, 2002)