Recently, NASA Administrator Nelson questioned whether Washington is considering scientific cooperation with China and whether it will violate the U.S. government's "Wolf Clause". It is worth noting that China's Chang'e-6 probe has recently successfully collected samples from the far side of the moon and returned them safely to Earth.
According to foreign media reports, Nielsen delivered a speech at Bill Gates's "Responsible Innovation Summit", expressing concern about possible scientific research opportunities between NASA and China, which sparked heated public opinion, why sometimes the United States wants to share resources with foreign countries, and other times, they feel that this is a violation of the rules? Nielsen also referred to a press conference held by the China National Space Administration last week. At the meeting, the Chinese side announced that it would open lunar samples to scientists around the world to promote international cooperation. This initiative has received a positive response from the international community, and scientific research institutions in many countries have expressed their desire to participate in it.
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has made it clear that it is willing to share the resources of rock and soil samples on the far side of the moon. As soon as the news came out, the administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Nelson, was particularly excited. In a subsequent interview with CNN, Nelson expressed his euphoria, and further pointed out that China's lunar material resources are valuable assets that other countries have not yet had the opportunity to acquire, and the American people are also eager to obtain certain research results from these samples, in fact, this is not the first time NASA has expressed a strong interest in obtaining Chinese lunar soil samples. As early as August last year, China officially announced that the scientific research samples obtained from its "Chang'e-5" lunar exploration mission would be open to the international community for application, and the United States also responded positively and submitted relevant applications, and the Chinese side gave a warm welcome. Against this backdrop, we might as well listen to Mr. Nielsen's wonderful speech this time.
In discussing China's sharing of lunar samples, Director Nelson made clear that China is willing to open up access to the international community, just as the United States has done with the Apollo moon landings in the past, bringing precious samples to the rest of the world. His words undoubtedly hint at the great contributions made by the United States in the past, but also imply that China is somehow following in their footsteps and that China's sharing is itself a far-reaching international contribution that should not be ignored or underestimated. China's rapid development in the aerospace field and its positive and open attitude towards international scientific cooperation have undoubtedly injected new vitality and impetus into the global space exploration cause. While the United States has certainly engaged in commendable sharing activities in the past, this does not diminish the uniqueness and importance of China's current behavior.
In previous discussions on the sharing of lunar soil samples with the mainland, NASA Director Nelson emphasized that if the NASA research team intends to obtain lunar soil samples collected by China's Chang'e-6 mission, they will need to be accompanied by a lawyer during the application process to ensure that the exchange will not violate current U.S. laws and regulations, especially the Wolf Clause, which has been in effect since 2011. The article clearly stipulates that NASA shall not engage in any form of cooperation with China in the field of space science and technology without the approval of Congress and the FBI. It is worth noting that Mr. Nelson himself has publicly expressed his support for the perpetuation of the Wolf Clause, which undoubtedly indicates that he does not agree with cooperation with China in the field of space technology at the level of principle.
Surprisingly, despite such a stark stance, Mr. Nelson is now requesting a share of lunar soil samples with China on behalf of the U.S. government, a dramatic shift in attitude that has undoubtedly caused widespread controversy. There seems to be a degree of contradiction in his behavior, as he aggressively pushes for legislation that restricts space cooperation with China while trying to benefit from China's space program. For some, this may seem inappropriate, especially given his past stance and remarks.
In response to the U.S. request to the mainland for lunar soil samples, NASA Administrator Nelson made a surprising statement, claiming that he firmly believes NASA has the ability to defeat China in the so-called "second space race". These words undoubtedly reflect the fact that some people in the United States are still stuck in the Cold War-era mindset, as if they were still competing fiercely with the Soviet Union, and launched the Apollo moon landing program against this backdrop. While we don't intend to delve into the specifics of the implementation of the Apollo moon landing program and the potential controversies behind it, Director Nelson's remarks do reveal a quintessential Cold War-style competitive mentality. It is undeniable that the United States did achieve a remarkable victory during the Cold War, but the question is, does the United States still have the great strength and clear advantages it once had?
With the profound changes in the global political, economic, and technological landscape, international relations and forms of cooperation are also evolving. In the field of space exploration, the concept of win-win cooperation has received widespread attention and recognition from the international community, and Director Nelson's remarks may be regarded as an outdated zero-sum mentality, which is far from the current trend of vigorous development of international space cooperation. Since the rise of China, it has achieved remarkable rapid development in all aspects of economy, science and technology, and comprehensive strength, and its gross domestic product (GDP) has surpassed the aggregate level of the Soviet Union at its peak. Based on this, some people in the United States have gradually become afraid of China's development trend, regarding it as an unprecedented and powerful challenger, and the current world pattern is not simply dominated by the United States as it was during the Cold War, but presents a new atmosphere of pluralism and multipolarity.
China's achievements in the field of aerospace cannot be ignored, since 2007, China launched the "Chang'e Project" lunar exploration program, and has achieved a series of brilliant results. In particular, on November 3 this year, China's Chang'e-5 probe successfully brought back about 1.7 kilograms of lunar soil samples from the moon, which undoubtedly indicates that China's technological strength in this field has reached the world's leading level. On the other hand, the United States, despite its ability to send astronauts to the International Space Station, has repeatedly encountered difficulties in returning astronauts in recent years. Against this backdrop, the confident posture of the United States, which has asked China for lunar soil samples and claims to defeat China in the space race, may be puzzling.