Preface
For a long time, the United States has been working hard to suppress the development of China's space industry, and even came up with a "Wolf Clause" in order to sever cooperation with China.
But who would have thought that China's space technology will become better and better, and the United States will turn around and borrow a space station and ask us for lunar soil, even ignoring its own country's terms.
As we all know, the United States has not been slapping in the face once or twice, but why would China still agree to the United States' demands?
The United States' suppression of China's aerospace industry
In 1971, the Soviet Union launched the first space station in human history, "Salyut 1", which opened the door to a new world of human exploration of the universe.
As a result, the United States followed suit and began to develop a space station.
In order to better develop the space station, then US President Ronald Reagan put forward the idea of the International Space Station in 1983.
Objectively speaking, there is nothing wrong with Reagan's thinking.
In the case that aviation technology research and development cannot be innovated, only when everyone gets together can there be better research and development results.
However, because of the Cold War, Reagan's proposal was not implemented until the collapse of the Soviet Union and the emergence of Russia, the International Space Station project was not put on the agenda.
China is interested in the ISS project and has been eager to join it.
At that time, the two leaders of the project were the United States and Russia, and other countries such as Malaysia and Thailand also joined in.
Most countries, including Russia, have no objection to China's accession, but the United States has rejected China's accession despite public opinion.
It can be seen from this time that the United States has begun to curb China's space development, and they even do not hesitate to spread rumors that China has sent "spies" to steal US space technology.
At that time, as long as Chinese aerospace experts worked, visited, or studied in the United States, the United States would label them "spies."
Not only that, U.S. Congressman Frank Wolf even pushed the U.S. Congress to pass a clause named after himself, the main content of which is to prohibit cooperation between China and the United States in space.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that Wolf and the United States are openly targeting China, and they are deeply afraid that we will surpass them in technology.
Not only that, but this Wolf clause also prohibits all NASA equipment from receiving official Chinese visitors.
In other words, Chinese do not have the right to enter NASA and cooperate with the United States in spaceflight.
In doing so, the United States is afraid that we will be technologically backward and "demand" from them, so it preemptively issued a prohibition order in an attempt to make China retreat in the face of difficulties.
However, the United States is so powerful, and it is issuing terms and slandering us for stealing technology, why does it want to borrow a space station from us?
Two levels of reversal
At the beginning, when China was refused to join the International Space Station project, it was not without annoyance, but because of the annoyance, that obsession also followed.
"Since you won't let me join, then I'll develop it myself, and I can't believe it. ”
Along the way, our aerospace industry has not gone smoothly.
The U.S. crackdown on us is also all-encompassing, not only technically blockading us, but even "stuck" in the sale of parts.
In 1999, the United States released the Cox Report, which included a legal provision that:
"Any satellite internationally that uses American components is prohibited from being launched using Chinese rockets".
Last year, the United States banned Chinese batteries and used the same trick in the chip war.
At that time, China was at a critical time for economic reform.
In order to be able to invest enough money in the research and development of the space industry, China can only provide rockets for other countries' satellite launches, so as to earn some money to maintain scientific research.
But this law in the United States is equivalent to smashing our jobs, and at the same time stepping on it.
In this regard, China was not discouraged, but regrouped and continued to study the space industry, and finally on September 29, 2011, we successfully launched China's first space station, Tiangong-1.
This year was a year of breakthrough and innovation in China's aerospace industry and a new milestone, and it was also a year when the United States issued the "Wolf Clause".
If the United States knew that the slap in the face would be so quick in the later stage, would it regret the once stupid decision?
The launch of Tiangong-1 represents the hope of China's aerospace industry, and in the later period, Tiangong-1 has repeatedly carried out space rendezvous and docking with Shenzhou 8, 9 and 10 spacecraft.
Our space industry has never stopped exploring.
In 2016, China launched Tiangong-2, and in June 2021, three astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming, and Yang Hongbo, who flew on Shenzhou-12, successfully settled in the Tianhe core module of China's space station.
The feat opened the first mission of China's manned space program, and by this time, China's space station technology had far surpassed that of the International Space Station.
Another point I have to say is that China's overall pattern can't help but make people feel admired.
After China's space station technology matures, China will open up to the outside world, conduct public research projects with other countries, and accept cooperation with other countries.
For a time, many countries threw olive branches to China, and even the United States unsurprisingly submitted an application to China, saying that it wanted to join China's space station project.
When things got to this point, I couldn't help but be amazed at the "cheekiness" of the United States, but the United States once again refreshed my understanding.
Now, the United States is not only asking China for lunar soil, but also has its eye on our Queqiao-2.
China's lunar soil
On November 24, 2020, the Chang'e-5 probe successfully lifted off aboard the Long March 5 and successfully landed on the front side of the moon on December 1.
This time, Chang'e-5 is "going home" with a "difficult" mission.
The reason why China will name Chang'e, Tiangong and Jade Rabbit in the field of lunar exploration is that I believe every Chinese knows that they originally belonged to the moon, and when they came here, they just went home.
After the successful landing of Chang'e-5 on the moon, it successfully completed the lunar drilling, sampling and encapsulation, and returned to Earth with important lunar samples on December 17.
This is China's first lunar probe to carry out unmanned lunar sample return, and it also proves that China has mature independent technology in the field of space.
After Chang'e-5 returned to Earth, more than 10 different structures or research institutions submitted applications to China for the research of Chang'e-5 lunar soil.
Of these, the United States alone submitted five.
In addition, our relay communications satellite Queqiao-2 has also been targeted by the United States.
The Queqiao-2 satellite is our "pride", and since it was launched in March, there has been good news that Queqiao-2 has successfully completed the Chang'e-4 communication test on the far side of the moon after entering the lunar orbit.
In addition, what is even more surprising is that Queqiao-2 has also completed the communication test with the Chang'e-6 probe.
You must know that the Chang'e-6 probe has not yet been launched and is still on Earth, while Queqiao-2 has been able to successfully complete communication with it, which is really powerful.
Now, Queqiao-2 has completed the Earth-Moon communication test and officially entered the working state.
In the later stage, the staff will start the scientific experiments prepared in advance, and after the completion of Queqiao 2, the data will be transmitted back in real time.
Not only that, Queqiao-2 will also assist Chang'e-6 and Chang'e-7 in completing the lunar sampling mission in the future.
However, the most surprising aspect of Queqiao-2 is its ability to communicate.
The detector carried by Queqiao-2 is able to provide us with the most accurate data, and it is also able to install its own system according to the instructions of the staff.
It's just that such a powerful Queqiao-2 was targeted by the United States and asked China to cooperate in the use of the Queqiao-2 satellite, and China uncharacteristically agreed.
Why is that?
China's attitude
The development of China's aerospace industry can be said to be "crossing the river by feeling the stones", and we have completely relied on the technology that generations of astronauts have explored themselves to reach today's achievements.
In the beginning, China also admitted that it was technologically backward, and has always been humble and eager to learn, wanting to realize the dream of its own people to fly into space.
Although the United States has suppressed us again and again and excluded us from the research and development program of the International Space Station, China has not given up.
We relied purely on our own research and development technology to break through layers of blockades, and finally have the place we have now, and we have developed a space station that is more powerful than the International Space Station.
Later, when many countries wanted to join China's space station program, the United States also actively wanted to join.
However, although China has a strong view of the pattern and welcomes all countries to develop together, it is not stupid enough to allow anyone to join.
When China announced the space station project, it conducted a series of information reviews for the submitting countries, and the information submitted by the United States did not meet the requirements, so China rejected the United States' request to join at that time.
Back in the day, when the United States was trying to squeeze out China because of our backwardness and seeing us as a potential adversary, now we are able to swap identities, which is very enjoyable.
On the other hand, the United States wants to ask us for lunar soil, and we don't give it as soon as you stretch out your hand.
China is willing to share resources, but there is still a quota limit, as long as the information and research direction provided by the applicant meet the requirements, it may finally be qualified for Chinese lunar soil.
However, one thing that is different from other countries is that if the United States wants to obtain Chinese lunar soil, it must apply to Congress, after all, the original "Wolf Clause" is still fresh in my mind.
China does not restrict cooperation with you, but you yourself shout that you do not have space cooperation with China, and the United States thought that it was China that was trapped by this clause, but in the end, it was only itself that was trapped.
Finally, with regard to the application for the use of Queqiao-2, China has indeed agreed to the request of the United States.
China has always advocated peaceful and shared space research, and as long as it meets our regulations, it can apply to cooperate with China in joint research.
This is something that the United States will never be able to do.
If the United States insists on treating China as an imaginary enemy, it will certainly reap the consequences in the later stage.
epilogue
Space does not belong to a single country, as human beings on Earth, our exploration is only a visit to a strange universe.
In the end, it is itself that slaps itself in the face of its self-righteous behavior.
Looking back at every behavior of the United States, which time was it not an unusually resolute decision to speak harshly and do ruthless things, but in the end, it was not itself that was "hurt"?
I hope that the United States can understand that cooperation can sometimes make itself better, especially in the field of space, and it can never be the only one that dominates.
Resources:
Science and Technology Finance Network: When will the dream of "Nine Days of the Moon" come true?
The Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China: China National Space Administration: welcomes the international community's use of the Queqiao relay satellite to continue scientific research
Xinhuanet: The 74th International Astronautical Congress focuses on global space cooperation
Xinhua News Agency client: 3 astronauts successfully flew into the "Tianhe" China's manned space industry set sail on a new journey