Among the 42 chief scientists who participate in the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) continued by Shuttle Endeavor which was launched on February 11, only one, Guo Huadong, director of the Remote Sensing Application Research Institute under the Chinese Academy of Sciences and expert in radar remote sensing, is from China and the Asia-Pacific region.

One year ago, National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the USA (NASA) solicited items of SRTM from scientists worldwide and received 250 application reports submitted by the scientists across the world. After strict siftings and appraisal, 42 scientists were allowed to join the Mission. Guo Huadong succeeded in entering the group by presenting the "SRTM used in China Topographic Mapping and Earth's Surface Deformation Monitoring". It is the second time that Guo was selected as a member of the working group since he had worked in the Shuttle Endeavor Radar Scientific Working Group between 1991 and 1996.

It is reported that as the members of the working group, all the 42 chief scientists have the right to share the data transmitted by Shuttle Endeavor. The volume of data about China is estimated to be equivalent to 2,500 sets of Chinese Encyclopedias. Guo Huadong said the advanced data will help China draw the latest topographic map, monitor the crusty movements, prevent disasters like flood and landslide, and protect the ecological environment. It will make active contribution to the development of the western region.