Recently, the United States and 43 countries jointly launched the "Coordinated Lunar Time" (LTC) program, which appears to facilitate scientific cooperation on the moon, but in fact hides deeper intentions. Since the middle of the 20th century, United States has been a leader in the field of astronautics, especially after Armstrong's successful moon landing, United States awareness of the moon's hegemony has become more and more apparent. However, with the rapid rise of China's space industry, this "leadership position" is facing unprecedented challenges.
Loading...
From the Apollo program to the International Space Station (ISS), United States has cemented its leadership in international space through a series of space programs. However, with the popularization of space technology and the strengthening of international cooperation, other countries are gradually emerging, and China's "Chang'e" lunar exploration program is a typical case. In recent years, China has made remarkable achievements in the field of lunar exploration and scientific research, including Chang'e-4's successful landing on the far side of the moon for the first time in human history and Chang'e-5's completion of lunar sample return. These achievements not only highlight China's technological prowess, but also put United States under unprecedented pressure.
To this end, the United States is eager to reassert its leadership in international space by formulating a "coordinated lunar time." By reaching a consensus with 43 countries, an attempt was made to establish new rules and order on the Moon. However, what many people see is only superficial scientific cooperation, but in fact it is United States ambition to control the moon's resources and dominate international space cooperation.
The proposal of "coordinating lunar time" solves an important scientific problem: how to unify the time standard on the moon. The rotation period of the Moon is similar to the rotation period, which leads to various inconveniences and errors if the earth time is used to calculate directly. Therefore, the scientific community has long proposed the concept of "lunar mean solar time" based on the relative position of the moon to the sun.
However, the United States is not satisfied with existing scientific solutions, but chooses to intervene on this basis. They hope to impose this time standard on other countries by "coordinating lunar time" to dominate future lunar exploration. This practice is clearly exercising control in the name of science.
For example, if countries establish bases on the moon in the future, if they act uniformly according to the time standards set by the United States, they are in fact acknowledging United States's leadership in this field. This is undoubtedly a means for the United States to further strengthen its space hegemony.
With the deepening of human exploration of space resources, the moon is attracting the attention of all countries as a potential resource treasure trove. In particular, helium-3 and other fuels that may be used for nuclear fusion in the future have become the target of mining by various countries. In this context, the standardization of time is particularly important.
If United States can control the "coordination of the moon", then it will occupy the absolute initiative in the exploitation and distribution of lunar resources. Who discovers and mines first will depend on the grasp of the time node. At this time, the United States' time standard will become an important tool for them to compete for resources on the moon.
In the face of such hegemonic behavior by United States, China must be prepared to take corresponding countermeasures. First, China needs to actively participate in international space cooperation, especially with countries that are unwilling to rely on United States, and establish closer cooperative relations. In the war for resources, China can form a powerful coalition through multilateral cooperation to jointly counter United States' unilateralism.
Second, China must continue to make technological breakthroughs, especially in lunar and deep space exploration technologies. In the future, China plans to establish a permanent base on the moon to ensure a greater voice on the moon through independent research and development and technological innovation.
Finally, the war of public opinion is also a link that cannot be ignored. Through the international media, China can strengthen the disclosure of the true intention behind the "coordination of the moon", and publicize to the world that space resources are the common wealth of all mankind and should not be monopolized by any country.
In today's globalized world, space exploration and development should be the common cause of all mankind. The international community needs to work together to develop rules to ensure the peaceful use and sharing of resources in outer space. The unilateralist approach of the United States is clearly contrary to this idea.
China has always advocated the peaceful use of space and called on all countries to strengthen cooperation in space exploration and jointly address the challenges facing mankind. Therefore, China has the responsibility to actively advocate this concept on the international stage and promote the establishment of more just and reasonable international space rules.
Although the United States and 43 countries formulated the "coordination of the moon" behavior, although it seems to be a scientific progress, it actually hides a deeper strategic intention. In this era of competition, all countries should clarify their interests and positions, unite to jointly safeguard peace and justice in space.
This event is not only about the future of the moon, but also a profound reflection on the international order and the allocation of resources. China's space industry is becoming more and more important in this context, and the future road of lunar exploration will be full of challenges and opportunities. In this process, China has the ability, responsibility and confidence to work with other countries to usher in the new era of space.
I hope you can share your views in the comment section and discuss how to better deal with this situation and jointly promote the development of human space exploration.