Recently, Chang'e-6 successfully brought back precious samples from the far side of the moon, which means that China's space industry has made another major breakthrough.
However, just when countries have responded to China's invitation and are looking forward to jointly studying this "space treasure", only NASA was unexpectedly absent, which directly broke the defense of the United States!
Has the space blockade imposed by the United States against China now become a double-edged sword that hurts others and hurts itself?
The decision to sample samples in the Aitken Basin, on the far side of the Moon, is a decision of far-reaching scientific significance.
The Aitken Basin is one of the largest and oldest impact basins on the Moon, and its unique geological features provide a valuable window into the study of the Moon's early history.
The far side of the Moon has long been in the shadow of the Earth's electromagnetic interference, and is facing challenges such as extreme temperature differences and complex topography.
What's more, the difficulty of exploration activities is greatly increased due to the inability to communicate directly with the Earth.
The Chinese space team has successfully overcome these obstacles through a series of innovative technologies.
For example, the "Queqiao" relay satellite was used to solve communication problems, sampling equipment adapted to extreme temperatures was developed, and autonomous navigation and obstacle avoidance systems were optimized.
These breakthrough achievements demonstrate the strong strength of China's aerospace science and technology, and have aroused widespread attention and praise from the international community.
Space agencies and research institutions in many countries have congratulated and expressed a strong willingness to participate in follow-up research, reflecting the international influence of the Chang'e-6 mission.
Soil samples on the far side of the moon are considered by the scientific community to be a "time capsule" for studying the early history of the solar system.
These samples may have preserved primitive material from the early days of the Moon's formation, and may even contain material from other celestial bodies in the solar system.
Scientists expect an in-depth analysis of these samples to reveal the secrets of the formation and evolution of the Moon, and perhaps even revisit our understanding of the early history of the solar system.
In addition to their scientific value, these samples may also have potential economic value.
The lunar soil may contain rare earth elements, helium-3 and other rare resources, which may play an important role in future deep space exploration and energy development.
In particular, it is worth mentioning the "Chang'e Stone" discovered during this mission.
This new lunar mineral may reveal the moon's unique geological processes and open up new directions for lunar scientific research.
The progress of China's space technology is all-encompassing.
At the same time as the breakthrough in lunar exploration, China has also made remarkable achievements in the construction of space stations.
The successful operation of the Tiangong space station marks China's becoming the third country after the United States and Russia to independently build and operate a space station.
In the field of deep space exploration, China is actively promoting the Mars exploration program, and Tianwen-1 has successfully landed on Mars and carried out scientific exploration.
China's announced manned lunar landing by 2030 not only demonstrates China's aerospace ambitions, but also reflects the rapid development of China's space technology.
In the international space cooperation and competition, China has always adhered to an attitude of openness and cooperation.
In recent years, China and the European Space Agency (ESA) have deepened cooperation in Mars exploration and space science.
For example, China's Chang'e-4 mission carried scientific instruments from Germany and Sweden, and the Tianwen-1 Mars rover also carried instruments developed by France.
Cooperation with Russia is also progressing steadily, and the two countries have signed an outline of space cooperation for 2018-2022, covering a number of areas such as lunar and deep space exploration, satellite navigation, etc.
The white paper "China's Space 2021" released in 2021 clearly stated that China is willing to carry out exchanges and cooperation with all countries, regions and international organizations on the equal and mutually beneficial and peaceful use of outer space.
This position fully reflects China's openness and sincerity of cooperation as a responsible major country.
However, the U.S. attitude toward China's space industry is contradictory and complex.
On the one hand, the U.S. scientific community has shown great interest in participating in China's research on lunar samples.
Many American scientists believe that these precious samples from the far side of the moon may contain important scientific discoveries that are of great value for advancing scientific research on the moon.
They hope to analyze these samples together through international cooperation to advance human understanding of the moon.
On the other hand, US politicians and some politicians have a critical and accusatory attitude towards China's space achievements.
They often hype up the "theory of China's space threat" and politicize and militarize China's normal space activities.
The US side even absurdly accused China of "contempt for transparency in space", which lacks factual basis and exposes the double standards of the United States.
In fact, China has always abided by international law such as the Outer Space Treaty, and has repeatedly called for the prevention of an arms race in outer space.
An important reason for this contradictory situation is the Wolf Clause of the United States.
The clause, first proposed by Republican Rep. Frank Wolf in 2011, prohibits NASA from working bilaterally with the China National Space Administration or Chinese-owned companies.
This clause has severely restricted NASA's space cooperation with China and has become a huge obstacle to China-US space exchanges.
The existence of the "Wolf Clause" not only hinders the normal exchange of scientists between the two countries, but also disconnects the United States from the mainstream trend of international space cooperation to a certain extent.
With the rapid development of China's space technology and the increase of its international influence, there are more and more voices within NASA calling for the relaxation of this clause.
Some US scientists and policy experts believe that cooperation with China is also of positive significance to the development of the US space industry, which can promote scientific and technological exchanges, reduce costs, and enhance mutual trust.
However, due to political factors, despite calls within NASA for the relaxation of the Wolf Clause, no substantial progress has been made.
In contrast, the U.S. space industry has indeed faced many challenges in recent years.
The much-anticipated Artemis moon landing program is a case in point.
The plan was originally scheduled for a manned landing on the moon in 2024, but it has been postponed several times due to technical difficulties, budgetary issues and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
For now, NASA has postponed the goal of the first manned landing on the moon to 2025, but many experts believe that this timeline is still too optimistic.
The ISS mission has also been plagued by frequent technical problems.
In 2021, the Russian "Science" experimental module accidentally ignited the thruster after docking with the International Space Station, causing the space station to briefly lose control.
In addition, the aging of the space station is becoming more and more prominent, with many cases of tiny cracks and drops in air pressure.
These problems not only increase the difficulty and cost of maintenance, but also pose a potential threat to the safety of astronauts.
The U.S. blockade policy has not only failed to stop the development of China's space industry, but has stimulated China's determination to innovate independently to a certain extent.
At the same time, this practice has also led to the increasing isolation of the United States in international space cooperation.
More and more countries are choosing to carry out space cooperation with China, recognizing China's importance and influence in this field.
China's space industry has always adhered to an open and responsible attitude.
During the Chang'e-6 mission, China extended an invitation to the world to cooperate, including on board international payloads and sharing lunar samples.
This approach has been widely praised by the international community and is regarded as a positive measure to promote the development of the global space industry.
However, due to the Wolf Clause, NASA became the only major space agency that did not receive an invitation.
This situation has sparked dissatisfaction and disappointment in the American scientific community, and many scientists believe that this will cause the United States to miss out on important scientific research opportunities.
At the same time, China's commercial space industry is booming.
In 2022, the Wenchang International Commercial Space Launch Site in Hainan Province was officially put into use, which is China's first launch site dedicated to commercial spaceflight.
The completion of the launch site marks a further improvement of China's position in the global space market and provides more choices for international customers.
China's commercial space companies, such as Interstellar Glory and Blue Arrow Aerospace, are also growing rapidly, showing strong strength in areas such as small launch vehicle and satellite manufacturing.
In the face of the rapid development of China's space industry, some US politicians and media have begun to hype up the "China threat theory" and make improper accusations against China's rocket wreckage.
They claim that the wreckage of Chinese rockets poses a threat to safety on the ground, but in reality, this is not uncommon in global space activities, and the United States itself has repeatedly had similar problems.
For example, in May 2021, the second-stage wreckage of the Falcon 9 rocket of the American company SpaceX disintegrated over Washington State.
However, the United States itself has its own clandestine space activities, and this double standard is particularly glaring.
Overall, China's space achievements under international pressure are remarkable.
China's commitment to openness and cooperation stands in stark contrast to the U.S. lockdown restrictions, highlighting a different approach to development.
In the future, international space cooperation will certainly become more open and inclusive, and the United States needs to seriously reflect on its own policies and adjust its attitude toward China to avoid further falling behind in the space field.
In this new era of aerospace, China is proving itself to be a responsible space power with concrete actions.
In the face of challenges and opportunities, China will continue to promote the development of the space industry and make greater contributions to the great cause of human exploration of the universe.
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