The text states that all the content has reliable sources of information, which are repeated in the article at the end of the article. Some details are artistically processed, please pay attention to screening.
The Spring and Autumn of History
Edited by the Spring and Autumn of History
——Preface——
With the successful launch of the Chang'e-6 probe on May 3, an unprecedented wave of "China anxiety" suddenly spread in the Western world.
It turned out that after seeing China's success, the United States and Western countries unanimously agreed that China's lunar exploration program was all aimed at occupying the moon alone in the future.
However, is this really the case?
-- Restrictions from the U.S. --
China's space industry has made great progress in recent years, attracting the attention of the world. In the Chang'e lunar exploration program, China became the third country after the United States and Russia to orbit and land on the moon, and successfully landed and roved on the far side of the moon for the first time.
In addition, China has also achieved a number of "firsts" such as lunar sample return and lunar orbit rendezvous and docking.
These achievements have demonstrated the superb strength of China's aerospace science and technology, and have made many developed countries jealous.
Some Western countries are wary of China's space rise, believing that it will affect its dominance in the space field.
In particular, the United States has not only imposed strict restrictions on China in terms of arms export controls, but has also attempted to exclude China's international cooperation in the field of space through the "China-US Space Cooperation Review Act."
In fact, since the 90s of the 20th century, the US Congress has repeatedly passed bills to restrict the US government's space cooperation with China.
In 2011, the U.S. Congress passed the new 2011 Continuation Ratification Act, which enshrined a previous ban on China's space cooperation and prohibited NASA from cooperating bilaterally with any Chinese-funded entity.
In 2022, the Senate further passed the National Defense Authorization Act of 2023, extending and extending the previous provisions to other federal agencies in the United States.
This kind of exclusionary attitude has undoubtedly hindered the normal exchanges and cooperation between China and the United States in the field of aerospace. However, China has not stopped there, but continues to innovate independently and steadily move forward on the road of aerospace science and technology development.
For example, China has continuously broken through the limits of its carrying capacity through its independent research and development of the Long March series of launch vehicles. China's Beidou Navigation Satellite System has been completed and put into operation to provide services to users around the world. China also plans to build a Chinese space station in the next 15 years to contribute Chinese wisdom to the world's space industry.
As for the rapid development of China's aerospace industry, these Western countries are indeed jealous.
They are afraid that China will surpass themselves in the field of aerospace science and technology, and they are also trying to curb China's pace of development by excluding and suppressing them.
However, this approach is short-sighted and futile.
Aerospace is a great cause for mankind's peaceful use of outer space, which requires the full cooperation of all mankind. All countries should put aside their prejudices and work together to promote the development of human spaceflight.
Only by looking at China's aerospace rise with an open and inclusive mindset and abandoning the Cold War mentality and ideological bias can international cooperation in the space field be steady and far-reaching.
China is ready to work with all countries in the world to forge ahead hand in space science and technology innovation, and strive to safeguard the peaceful use of outer space and benefit all mankind.
——Reasons for being questioned——
China's space industry is steadily advancing, and its lunar landing program has attracted widespread attention around the world.
According to the China Manned Space Engineering Office, China plans to achieve a manned landing on the moon around 2030 and establish a scientific research base on the surface of the moon.
To this end, China has launched Chang'e-1, Chang'e-2, Chang'e-3 and Chang'e-4 probes since 2007, and has made a series of breakthroughs in orbiting, landing, and roving exploration of the moon.
Chang'e-3 successfully made the mainland's first soft landing in 2013 and put the Yutu rover into operation, traveling about 114 meters.
On January 3, 2019, Chang'e-4 successfully achieved the first soft landing and patrol of a human probe on the far side of the moon, opening a new chapter in human lunar exploration.
In the next few years, Chang'e-5 and Chang'e-6 will complete the lunar sample return and the unmanned rendezvous and docking of the lunar and landing spacecraft respectively, laying an important foundation for the eventual manned landing on the moon.
However, China's lunar exploration program has been questioned and warned by some Western countries. German television has commented that China is trying to land on the moon and has a "claim to ownership" of the moon.
Some U.S. officials have also repeatedly stated that China cannot "occupy" the moon. They believe that China's presence on the moon could disrupt international rules for the peaceful use of outer space.
In fact, China has never claimed ownership of the moon's resources.
As a party to the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, China has always maintained that outer space activities should abide by the principle of peaceful uses and that there is no intention of "scrambling" for the moon.
China's lunar exploration is only for peaceful purposes, and to enhance human understanding of the moon by carrying out scientific experiments and expeditions on the moon.
In the face of China's lunar landing program, the United States is also trying to seek the initiative to dominate the new field of aerospace. The launch of the first manned spacecraft Artemis to the moon in 2024 was originally planned, but it has been postponed.
To this end, the United States is also seeking international allies around its Artemis moon landing program, trying to contain China's pace of development in this area.
——The Real Purpose of China's Lunar Exploration——
China is steadily advancing its lunar exploration program, which has attracted widespread attention around the world. The fundamental starting point of China's lunar exploration activities is to adhere to the purpose of peaceful use of space.
As a State party to the Outer Space Treaty, China has always adhered to the principle that "the exploration and use of outer space should be for peaceful purposes".
The design and implementation of China's lunar exploration program runs through the concepts of peace, openness, cooperation and win-win results.
China not only invites international friends, including the European Space Agency, to participate in the lunar exploration program, but also plans to share the results of lunar exploration with other countries, especially to carry out international cooperation in the peaceful use of lunar resources.
Lunar exploration is a systematic project that requires decades of sustained efforts. However, there is also an important practical significance behind this huge project.
Scientists have found that the surface of the moon contains a large number of valuable resources, the most noteworthy of which are the oxygen in the lunar soil and the helium-3 resources rich in the lunar rocks.
Oxygen is a critical substance in rocket engines and life support systems. If oxygen can be harvested from the moon, it will not only significantly reduce the spacecraft carrying capacity requirements, but also provide critical support for the establishment of a lunar base in the future.
As an ideal fuel for thermonuclear fusion power generation in the future, helium-3 is an extremely valuable strategic resource.
However, the original intention of China's lunar exploration is not to plunder the lunar resources, but to conform to the attachment to the moon in the Chinese cultural genes. From ancient times to the present, Chinese literati and writers have infinite reverie and remembrance of the moon.
From Li Bai's "looking up at the bright moon and bowing his head to think of his hometown" to Su Shi's "people have joys and sorrows, and the moon is cloudy and sunny", the moon often embodies people's strong attachment to their home and country.
An important mission of China's lunar exploration program is to inherit the cultural feelings of the Chinese nation for the moon, and open a new era of human lunar exploration through great feats such as the first human setting foot on the far side of the moon.
From the perspective of cultural continuity, lunar exploration means the memory of the wisdom of our ancestors, and it also carries the blessing of future generations.
-- China's outlook --
Today, China's lunar exploration program has gone through nearly 20 years of history, and the goal is patient and ambitious.
According to the China Manned Space Engineering Office, China plans to achieve a manned landing on the moon around 2030, depicting the dream of human beings embracing the moon with practical actions.
This will be another milestone in China's space industry, and it will also open up a broader vision of space exploration for mankind.
The Chang'e series of probes has laid a solid foundation for China's lunar exploration program.
Chang'e-3 achieved the first soft landing on the moon, and Chang'e-4 opened a new era of human exploration of the far side of the moon.
In the future, Chang'e-5 will achieve the first sample return from the moon, making technical reserves for a manned landing on the moon.
Once the Chinese astronauts successfully reach the moon, it will start a new journey for mankind to open up a second home.
In fact, the idea of the moon as the next human home is not a pipe dream.
Some scientists have pointed out that the earth is facing various environmental challenges, and the ecosystem is under increasing pressure.
Therefore, timely expansion of human activities in space can not only reduce the pressure on the earth's ecological environment, but also help cultivate human space awareness, which is the only way for the sustainable development of human civilization.
Although the surface environment of the moon is harsh, it contains abundant resources, and it can provide living space for human beings through scientific and technological means.
At that time, the lunar base will become a strategic position for human development in space, laying the foundation for the future development of Mars and the broader deep space field.
From the earth to the moon, from the moon to Mars and then to the entire universe, it will be a grand blueprint for mankind to expand its homeland.
Information sources:
"China Opens a New Chapter of Human Lunar Exploration", Jintai Information, released on May 13, 2024
"British Media: China's Ambition to Explore Space from the "Cornerstone"" Global Times, May 14, 2024
"British media: Chang'e-6 is just the "first test" of China's solar system exploration ambition", Global Network, released on May 14, 2024