Though the Olympic torch has gone through the most adverse weather conditions on Mount Qomolangma, its flame is burning bright thanks to China's rocket science.
"Even on a benign weather day, a gale might be blown on Mt. Qomolangma. Bright sunshine one moment can quickly turn into a pour of hailstones the next," said Zhang Ming, head of the Beijing Organizing Committee's torch relay center.
"The lack of oxygen and low temperature is the main hindrance to keep the Olympic flame from burning on the mountain, so the torch must be able to burn under such circumstances," she added.
In January 2006, the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, an institute that specializes in designing burning systems for rockets, was entrusted with the task of designing the combustion system for Beijing's Olympic torch.
Liu Xingzhou, the chief engineer for the designing project, said the same principle was adopted to keep the torch flame flaring on Mt. Qomolangma as much as to keep rocket motors flaring in thin air.
"We installed a pressure-retaining valve in the torch, which enables the flame to withstand winds of up to 65 kilometers an hour, nearly 6 centimeters of rain an hour, and temperatures of minus 40 degrees Celsius," said Liu.
For a change, the flame is fueled entirely by propane, which marks a departure from its predecessors.
While the 2000 Sydney Olympics' torch burned a propane-butane mix, Athens's torch in 2004 was run on propylene and butane, which produced a bit more soot but increased the flame's brightness.
"No material, except carbon dioxide and water remain after the burning, eliminating any risk of pollution," said Liu.
The fuel system used to light up the Olympic torch is gradually moving towards the system used to fire up rockets, added Liu.
Comparing modern Olympic torch technology with rocket design, Liu said, "Both areas are very complicated. And they require technology of combustion, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, aerodynamics, materials science and manufacturing."
"We feel proud that the Olympic torch for the 2008 Olympics can have a 'heart' which is developed by Chinese scientists," he added.
(Xinhua News Agency May 8, 2008)