After more than 50 days of arduous voyages, from May 3 to June 25, China's lunar exploration program Chang'e-6 successfully completed the first magnificent mission in human history to collect soil on the back of the moon and return. The mission weighed about 2 kilograms of lunar soil, marking a new stage in China's lunar exploration program.
In the history of human astronautics, the Apollo program of the United States landed on the moon and brought back a total of nearly 400 kilograms of lunar soil. But over time, U.S. interest in lunar soil research waned, and in 2011 the Wolf Clause banned space cooperation with China.
Who doesn't know that more than 50 years ago, the United States was the dominant leader, but the times have changed, and now the United States is eager for China's lunar soil samples to supplement its shortcomings. According to reports, the United States asked China to share the lunar soil, but the result is unknown. After all, this nearly 2 kilograms of lunar soil is unique in the world and is of great value to scientific research.
Through the study of Chang'e-5 lunar soil, Chinese scientists have discovered exclusive results such as the new mineral "Chang'eite" and high water content, which are the envy of the United States. NASA Administrator Nelson also expressed his willingness to cooperate with China in lunar exploration in the future, and drew an extremely tempting pie for this. China plans to achieve a manned landing on the moon by 2030, 3-5 years earlier than the United States.
The most critical point in this matter, the "Long March 10", a super-high-thrust carrier rocket independently developed by China, is also being developed. Its success will directly determine whether the Chinese can return to the moon first. Although the current state of technology in the United States is relatively strong, it is still difficult to determine who will be the first to realize manned lunar exploration in the future.
As a symbol of China's aerospace industry, whether Chang'e can send the first female astronaut to the moon has also become the focus of attention of the majority of netizens. There are three female astronauts in the reserve, among which Liu Yang and Wang Yaping have completed the mission, if China can really achieve the first manned landing on the moon, the "real Chang'e" in the lunar landing team will be an idol unprecedented in romantic history.
A more important goal is the development and utilization of lunar resources than lunar soil samples. Recent studies have shown that water resources on the Moon are more abundant than previously thought, especially near the Moon's south pole. China plans to build a research station there to explore the possibility of mining and using lunar water.
Helium-3, a potential fusion fuel, also exists more on the moon and could provide clean energy for thousands of years. Therefore, the use of lunar resources for human exploration and settlement is the ultimate goal, and sample collection can only achieve this purpose.
Although the United States and China have different priorities for lunar exploration, they have landed on the same moon after all. With the gradual exploration of the moon, mankind's understanding of natural satellites is deepening, and the future development and utilization of the moon on this basis will surely be a new milestone in the cause of human spacecraft.