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With the successful arrival of China's self-developed probe on the surface of the moon, NASA panicked and sent a negotiation team to discuss the issue of "how to preserve the traces of human exploration on the moon". So did the "Jade Rabbit" destroy the footprints of American astronauts? Why is the United States in such a hurry?
Mankind's yearning for the moon
The vast universe is vast, and the twinkling stars in the night sky always attract countless people with lofty ideals to explore. The earth is the cradle of human civilization, but humans cannot be trapped in the cradle forever. If you want to explore the vast universe, the first stop must be the moon. The Moon is not only the closest celestial body to Earth, but also the only satellite of Earth.
Although the distance between the moon and the earth seems so insignificant in the scale of cosmic space, the effort of human beings to land on the moon is tantamount to climbing the peak with bare hands. Until now, there have been many technical challenges that need to be solved.
The first craze for exploring the moon appeared in the 60s of the last century. Under the influence of the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union frantically competed for national strength, scrambling to complete dozens of soft landings on the moon. The United States even claimed that on July 20, 1969, two astronauts successfully arrived on the moon aboard the Apollo 11 spacecraft.
Although it is not known whether the story of the manned moon landing in the United States is a shocking hoax, the second round of lunar landing fever has quietly begun. With the successful landing of Chang'e-3 in the Lunar Rain Sea in 2014, countries around the world have begun to accelerate the pace of lunar exploration.
According to the imagination of scientists, in the future, human beings will establish a base on the moon that can operate autonomously for a long time, and a highly intelligent center can command robots to complete multiple tasks such as exploration, transportation, and construction. The knowledge and minerals acquired will be used to assist the progress and development of human civilization.
The United States requires the preservation of historical sites
According to the deputy chief engineer of the China Aerospace Corporation, the United States has begun to discuss with China how to preserve the historical traces on the moon since the Chinese spacecraft successfully landed on the moon and sent the "Moon Rabbit" lunar rover to successfully complete exploration.
These so-called relics mainly refer to the footprints and flags left by American astronauts on the moon. In addition, it is precisely because China also has the ability to land on the moon that the United States has to start thinking about the question of who owns the mineral resources on the moon.
Previously, the United States issued the Wolf Clause in 2011, which imposed a technical blockade on China's lunar exploration program, intending to pass legislation to prevent China and the United States from continuing to cooperate in space technology. The United States made this move to put pressure on China, but it did not expect that China had made such significant progress in the field of space.
The Wolf clause, which explicitly forbade the United States from studying samples of China's far side of the moon, was undoubtedly a cocoon, but now it has begun to "give the green light" and agree to compromise in the terms. This move is nothing more than a piece of the pie to jointly study the 1,935.3 grams of precious lunar soil samples brought back by China.
The attitude of the United States is based on the previous evidence, while China has repaid the complaint with virtue. At the press conference on June 27, China solemnly invited scientists from all over the world to submit applications to China to study lunar soil samples together in accordance with the process, so as to achieve a good hope for win-win cooperation.
China has always maintained an open attitude in space technology cooperation with the United States. However, the United States has been withering and cherishing itself, for fear that China will catch up with and surpass the United States. Now that China is strong and the United States wants to negotiate, then it must take concrete action to remove the obstacles between the two countries first.
Future space programs
Commenting on issues related to the U.S.-China space race, U.S. official Nelson said China wants to land astronauts on the moon by 2023. The United States plans to complete the program in the second half of 2026. Although Chang'e-6 has successfully completed its sampling mission, the United States is still confident that it will beat China in this competition.
Space flight is extremely difficult, but manned space flight is even more difficult, even more difficult than a probe landing on a planet. However, China has already taken the first step, and with the successful recovery of soil samples from the lunar surface, it is only a matter of time before it actually sets foot on the lunar surface in the future.
Although the sample collected this time is only 1935.3 grams, this is the first lunar soil sample in human history, which has unique historical significance. By analyzing this sample, it will not only increase human understanding of the changes in the moon, but also accelerate the development and utilization of lunar resources.
The China Space Administration will continue to carry forward the development philosophy of "dare to explore, cooperate and achieve mutual benefit and win-win", do a good job in the management of soil samples, call on scientists around the world to carry out sample research, and share the achievements of China's space industry on a global scale.
In the future, China's space program will mainly focus on lunar and planetary exploration. Chang'e-7 and Chang'e-8 will also be launched to explore the resources of the moon's south pole and verify whether the lunar resources can be used in situ. Around 2023, Tianwen-3 may even bring back soil samples from the surface of Mars.
Why is the United States in such a hurry?
At the sensitive moment when Chang'e-6 successfully returned to Earth, the United States sent experts to negotiate with China on issues related to the moon. In fact, the "Jade Rabbit" lunar rover's exploration site is far away from the landing point of Apollo 11 as advertised by the United States, and there is no problem of "erasing" the footprints of the other party.
Why is the United States in such a hurry? First, the main reason is that the United States still wants to maintain its status as a space power. The U.S. lunar exploration program had previously been shelved for some time, because after the end of the Cold War, the United States lost its competitors and there was no need to continue the space race. Now that China is catching up, the United States has once again a sense of crisis.
The second is that the resources on the surface of the moon are limited, and although it is very difficult to mine at present, and even a lunar base capable of effective operation has not yet been established, the United States does not want to share a piece of the pie with other countries. Therefore, the words such as preserving the footprints left by the American astronauts are all aimed at finding out China's attitude on this matter.
This dialogue with the United States also tells us a truth: Only when you are strong will others come to you for negotiations. Previously, when China did not have the ability to land on the moon, the United States introduced a number of laws to restrict China's space industry. Now it has begun to take the initiative to come to the door, which undoubtedly means that the United States has to start facing China squarely.
Resources:
China.com: "China Release丨Why is the back of the moon "digging" and when to go to Mars? Official Explanation of China's Space Program》
Jimu News: "The era of lunar residency has come!" How many hurdles does it take to land on the moon? 》
Observer.com: Do you want to apply to study Chang'e-6 lunar samples? NASA Administrator: Green light has been given to apply for research
Guangming.com: "Chang'e-6 successfully returned with sampling on the back of the moon, foreign media: an extremely stupid reason why NASA cannot study valuable samples"
China Aerospace Corporation: "1935.3 grams! Chang'e-6 mission lunar "native products" officially handed over》
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