The moon is the warehouse of mankind’s future energy” - almost all countries that have launched moon landing plans have promoted this to the public - through so many years of “science popularization”, everyone knows, oh, there are things on the moon The famous helium-3 is a new type of nuclear fusion fuel. The stock is enough for human beings to use it for nearly ten thousand years. This seems to be a good reason. It is stated in the United Nations Moon Treaty that whoever has the ability will get it first. Wait a minute. Waiting for a good thing, why has the United States refused to go to the moon for 30 years to bring back hundreds of tons of cheap and clean helium-3 for decades, but spent a lot of money to go to Iraq to fight for oil? It's simple. There are three reasons: First, it cannot be used. The six "Apollo" satellites that humans landed on the moon brought back less than half a ton of rock samples. No one knows whether 1 gram of helium-3 can be extracted from them. This cost 30 billion US dollars. The second one is that it will not be used. So far, humans have not yet had the technology to convert the fusion energy contained in helium-3 into energy.
So why bother? What is the use of the moon that is 10,000 kilometers away? Let's take a look at the "Apollo Project":
Of the multiple goals of "Apollo" back then, the most important was of course to fly to the moon and achieve military purposes. There is an old Chinese saying: Stand high and see far. The moon is higher than any space station, and it never shows its back. If someone can build a missile base on the back of the moon and equip it with various weapons, they can control the earth from above. . Besides, this huge satellite with no atmosphere 380,000 kilometers away is the best "shooting range" for testing aerospace technology.
Not long ago, the United States announced that it has the right to attack "suspected" terrorists. Satellites that launch weapons in space, then Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld requested the development of technology to attack or defend orbiting satellites - these are the "eyes" of modern military. Can a blind person still fight with others? Iraq, which had just been beaten, had lost its satellite navigation and electronic signals, and its military was helpless. However, its opponent, the United States, mobilized 100 satellites to "join the war" and formed a veritable "dragnet."
Let's look at what else "Apollo" did? The development of "Apollo" contributed to the realization of 4,000 patents, and the results were extended to all fields of the U.S. national economy at that time. Today, we humans can see, use, and cannot see but cannot see. Almost all of the most important scientific and technological developments in the past 50 years that have affected us everywhere were triggered by the "Apollo" project: liquid fuel rockets, microwave radars, radio guidance, computers... Later, these technologies were transferred to civilian use, and some people have made statistics. , every dollar spent on "Apollo" can "earn" $5 back! In commemoration of the 35th anniversary of the moon landing, Nike published a special article saying that the air-cushion sneakers that are now best-selling around the world are due to the company's contribution to the United States. The technology accumulated by NASA in developing moon landing boots. In fact, there are countless examples like Nike. The application of technology in human life often benefits from projects like moon landing that seem to have nothing to do with ordinary people.
Joan, an American expert who studies China’s space issues. Johnson. Fritz also cleverly compared China's "Chang'e Project" to the "technological engine" China will develop in the next 20 years: "It is impossible to estimate how much return this investment will bring. High-tech aerospace work will enable a large number of Chinese people to obtain Employment opportunities, and promoting employment is a top priority for China. ”
Can China go to the moon if we work harder?
Since it is so important, and since the "Shenzhou 5" and "Shenzhou 6" have made a trip and come back, "If we work harder, we can reach the moon?" Many people think so. How much more effort do you have to put in? We might as well compare and see how many "difficult steps" we still have to climb before landing on the moon - four steps, and the issue of the "launch site".
The first difficult step is rocket carrying capacity. Our rockets have no problem sending things weighing several tons into space. The Long March series of rockets can now send up to 20 tons (the Ares 1 rocket being manufactured by NASA during the same period has a planned carrying capacity of 125 tons). It can currently reach as far as 20 kilometers from the earth. The farthest distance is 70,000 kilometers, and the moon is 380,000 kilometers away from the earth. To allow the lunar landing spacecraft to travel nearly 800,000 kilometers back and forth, it must have more fuel and greater propulsion. Just reaching the lunar orbit requires several rocket stages. If it wants to land on the moon, it must also consider returning... With the "Long March 3" With the current ability, it may be an impossible task.
The "Long March 5" being developed aims to carry 70 tons of "cargo". At that time, we may be able to say that we are closer to the moon.
After the problem of flying over is solved, we still have to face the "braking problem". When entering the gravitational zone of the moon, we must apply the "brake" in time. If we "brake" too late, we will hit the moon. If it "brakes" too early, it will drift out of control into space. It flew over and "stopped". Even in the first phase of "flying around the moon", finding the orbit was one of the problems. It could neither touch the moon nor fly over.
The second step is measurement and control - observation and monitoring. When our first rocket went into space in 1958, experts stood in the field with antennas and observed with telescopes. Their courage is admirable, and there is no turning back. A probe flying to the moon will be in extreme danger if it loses contact with the ground for a moment. The earth rotates once in 24 hours, and the moon orbits the earth once in 27 days. What will happen when the part of the earth where China's land is located turns away from the moon? At that time, not only could the detector not be observed, but it was also impossible to send commands. The United States has built three measurement and control stations around the world: California, Australia, Canberra, and Madrid, Spain. One station is built every 120°. No matter how you turn, there is always a station that can be observed. In addition to these three, it also has several stations with a diameter of 70 Meter, 36-meter and 26-meter receiving antennas can detect the solar system, not to mention the moon. Where is our antenna? One in Sheshan, Shanghai, and one in Urumqi, both only have a diameter of 25 meters. (The newly added ones are not mentioned, and now there is progress on this issue.)
In addition, even if the radio wave takes more than 2 seconds to travel back and forth at 384,400 kilometers, how can we ensure that the command is still accurate after the delay? of?
The third step is "clothes", which is also the most difficult one: whether it is an exploration satellite or an astronaut, you have to wear a special "clothes" to explore and land on the moon. When the clothes are hot, they are not hot, and when they are cold, they are not cold. These clothes are not as simple as ordinary people wearing them. Satellites revolve around the moon, the moon revolves around the earth, and the earth carries the moon and the satellites next to the moon around the sun. Turn, one result of such a complex neighborhood relationship is huge changes in hot and cold temperatures (a difference of 600°C!). If not, not only will all the equipment on the satellite catch a "cold", but astronauts will also face huge life dangers! According to Ouyang Ziyuan, chief scientist of China's lunar exploration program, "The spacesuits worn by our astronauts such as Yang Liwei, Fei Junlong, and Nie Haisheng simply cannot meet the requirements on the lunar surface. If this problem is not solved, China's moon landing will not be possible." Astronauts simply cannot survive on the moon."
It is no small challenge to allow astronauts to return to the moon absolutely safely. Any small mistake will lead to a fatal disaster - July 1969. On March 16, "Apollo 11" carried three American astronauts to the moon for the first time. But this world-famous moon landing was almost ruined by disaster: when the astronauts finished their two-hour moon walk, they discovered that the lunar module engine switch was damaged. It turned out that in the small lunar module, the spacesuit blew off a very critical circuit switch that started the engine. Without the switch, they would remain on the moon forever. At that time, President Nixon prepared a speech: "It is destiny that these people who peacefully explore the moon will rest on the moon forever." This "backup eulogy" almost became a reality. Fortunately, the astronauts used a ballpoint pen to connect the power. Successfully resolved the crisis and finally escaped the disaster.
Are we ready with our own "ballpoint pens"? "Smoke of gunpowder" on the timetable
After the starting gun sounds, you can smell the smoke of gunpowder from the "moon landing timetable" of various countries:
At the beginning of 2006, US President Bush Announced a return to the moon in 2015 and established a scientific research base on the moon. The new manned space vehicle developed for this goal will also be tested in 2008. Not to be outdone, the European Space Agency plans to launch a satellite to the moon when the United States completes rocket testing and send astronauts to the moon in 2020. Russia was faster, announcing that it had developed a new lunar landing spacecraft, and it had completed its first test flight this past summer.
Japan has a long-term plan, and its ambitions are not small: to develop a robot capable of exploring the moon within five years (it will not be too difficult to do this with Japan's always leading intelligent technology); within ten years, it will develop a robot that can enable humans to explore the moon. Technology for long stays! As for India, although this country conducts nuclear tests quietly, the moon landing plan is highly publicized: the first unmanned moon landing spacecraft "Moonship-I" will be launched in 2008, and a manned moon landing will be carried out by 2015...
The situation is not optimistic. At least China has not yet made a clear statement on when it will land on the moon. However, everyone else has everything in place, plans have been made, and implementation has started early. Everyone is busy working on it. It’s been a long time. Who knows, when Chinese astronauts land on the moon, they will find that the good places are occupied by Americans, Russians, Indians, and even Japanese bases - at that time, even if we "successfully land on the moon", we will National pride has been greatly enhanced, but I am afraid we will have to swallow the bitter pill of being late.
Currently, from the official documents we know, the only conclusion we can make about the implementation timetable of the "Chang'e Project" is that it will begin "circling the moon" next year, and "possibly" carry out an unmanned lunar landing in 2012. Maybe After this, five years or more, the Chinese will be able to put the red flag on the moon...
China’s Moon Landing Plan
October 12, 2006, Beijing, State Council Information Office Published the white paper "China's Aerospace in 2006". Sun Laiyan, director of the China National Space Administration, said at a press conference of the State Council Information Office that China is a developing country and the development of its aerospace industry is to serve the country's economic construction and social development and to promote China's scientific and technological development level.
According to China's confirmed lunar exploration project plan, the entire lunar exploration project is divided into three phases. The first phase is "circulation", the second phase is "falling", and the third phase will be carried out in 2017. The first phase of the project is "return".
In the eyes of the outside world, the launch of the "Chang'e-1" satellite is actually just a prelude to China's entire lunar exploration project. Although the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense has only launched the first phase of the "Chang'e Project" and the "Moon Orbiting Exploration Project", and the second and third phase plans have not yet been officially approved, no one doubts that they are already on the line.
After the successful launch of "Chang'e 1" in April 2007, the "Chang'e Project Phase II" will soon enter a substantial stage. There is news that China will enter the second phase of the "Chang'e Project" from 2009 to 2015, and will conduct two to three soft landing inspections. Among them, the plan to launch a soft lander to the moon in 2012 has been basically determined. According to this plan, the soft lander will carry a lunar rover equipped with cameras and various detection instruments, patrol and survey the lunar surface, and collect basic data for the establishment of a lunar base. At present, China has basically the technology, material conditions and economic strength to carry out this task.
After this, China will carry out the "Chang'e Project Phase III" in 2017, which is to launch a lunar soft lander. This soft lander will not only collect samples of lunar soil and rocks, but also Return to Earth aboard the return capsule. At this stage, space robots will play a major role in satellite maintenance, space science experiments and other activities. It is reported that in order to implement the robot moon landing plan as soon as possible, the country has already established the first specialized research institution for space robots, namely the National High-tech Aerospace Space Robot Engineering Research Center. Currently, space robots have entered the development process.
After the completion of the "Chang'e Project Phase III", China will enter the stage of manned moon landing. At that time, China's manned moon landing plan will all come to light. Some analysts believe that China's manned moon landing plan will become the "Chang'e Project Phase 4". In this phase of the project, how will China manned a manned landing on the moon? According to the design of Chinese scientists, the method our country plans to adopt is to first use a launch vehicle to send the spacecraft to the earth's orbit. Then, the spacecraft moves to the lunar orbit on its own, releases the landing module, lands on the lunar surface, and astronauts land on the moon. After the activity is completed, the astronauts return to the landing module, fly away from the moon, and re-docking with the spacecraft waiting in lunar orbit. This is the end of the moon landing process.
In 2006, the Chinese government formulated the "Eleventh Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development" and the "National Medium and Long-term Science and Technology Development Plan (2006-2020)", which will develop Major aerospace science and technology projects such as manned spaceflight, lunar exploration, high-resolution earth observation systems, and new-generation launch vehicles are placed in an important position.
“China will send a man to the moon in 2024.” In June 2006, Reuters and other foreign media made very positive reports on China’s moon landing time. It is reported that Western media reported According to a piece of news from Hong Kong Wen Wei Po: In the "Chang'e Project Phase IV" in 2024, Chinese astronauts will be able to carry out a moon landing mission. The official did not comment on this voice, but some experts in the domestic aerospace industry believed that the Western media's statement completely ignored the "prediction" and was suspected of hype. A Chinese aerospace expert pointed out that this kind of hype reflects the West's ambivalent attitude towards the rapid development of China's aerospace industry. On the one hand, there is special interest in China's aerospace industry, but at the same time there is a certain degree of concern.
The lunar exploration project launched by China has also aroused widespread interest among the Chinese people. Although what the Chinese government has announced so far is only a preliminary lunar exploration plan, some people still link it with manned moon landings and the establishment of lunar bases, and have generated some rich associations. On the Internet, you can find science fiction works about China’s manned moon landing from time to time. Some netizens once made the following vivid description: "Twenty years later, we all arrived at the moon base in a 'Clipper' spacecraft... Since the gravity on the moon is much smaller than the gravity on the earth, we met in the botanical garden. There are tomatoes as big as watermelons, watermelons as big as minicars, cucumbers as long as baseball bats, grapes as big as footballs..."
What does the moon mean to us?
This is a question that many ordinary people in China are asking. There are also voices of opposition in the Chinese scientific community. Is lunar exploration really meaningless to us? This is not the case, and the seven major benefits it brings can be seen.
First, it is the need to safeguard my country’s lunar rights and interests
Although the "Agreement Guiding the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies" adopted by the United Nations in 1984 is referred to as the "Moon Treaty", The moon and its natural resources are the common property of mankind, and no country, group or individual may appropriate it as its own. However, currently, major spaceflight countries and organizations are stepping up their efforts to implement lunar exploration plans. As a member of the United Nations Committee on Outer Space Affairs, our country has carried out lunar exploration and achieved certain results. Only then will we have the strength to fulfill the Moon Treaty and share rights and interests in developing the moon, and safeguard our country's legitimate rights and interests.
2. The moon is the best platform for humans to study the universe and the earth itself
Scientists believe that by using some of the original features of the lunar surface that have not been modified or destroyed by humans, we can understand Information on the origin, evolution and structure of the moon can help to understand the ancient state of the earth, the origin and evolution of the solar system and even the entire universe. It can also help clarify the relationship between space phenomena and the natural phenomena of the earth. It can greatly Enrich people's understanding of the origin, evolution and characteristics of the earth, the solar system and the entire universe, and seek clues about the origin and evolution of life on earth.
3. It is an important carrier to promote the progress and development of science and technology
Developing the moon is an unprecedentedly arduous undertaking, which requires solving a series of problems, which will inevitably lead to the development of large-thrust rockets, giant There are rapid advances in engineering technologies such as spacecraft, high-speed flight, artificial intelligence, computers, robots, processing automation, precision instruments, remote sensing operations, communications, materials, construction, and energy, as well as science and technology such as space biology, space physics, and space astronomy.
4. Preparation for the development and utilization of lunar resources
According to detection, lunar rocks contain all material elements in the earth's crust, and about 60 kinds of mineral deposits. The lunar rock and soil is rich in oxygen, iron, magnesium, calcium, silicon, titanium, sodium, potassium, manganese and other substances. It is initially estimated that it contains 8 trillion tons of iron. In addition, the moon is rich in energy, especially helium-3 on the moon, which is an efficient fuel for nuclear fusion reactions that is not found on the earth. It is estimated that the total amount of helium-3 resources in the lunar soil can reach 1 million~ 5 million tons, capable of supporting the earth’s electricity needs for 7,000 years.
5. Promote deep space exploration
The gravity on the moon's surface is only one-sixth that of the earth's surface. Therefore, spacecraft taking off from the moon can greatly save energy. Oxygen accounts for 40% of the lunar rock soil, which can produce propellant on-site and serve as a source of oxygen for controlled ecological environment and life support systems. Silicon accounts for 20% and can be used to make solar arrays for spacecrafts. Other metals can be used to make various components and equipment for spacecrafts. The moon can also be used as a transfer station to conduct maintenance and refueling for passing spacecraft.
6. A platform for astronomical observation and research
The geological structure of the moon's surface is extremely stable. The moon directly bears the radiation of the sun, and there is no absorption, scattering and refraction of light and radio waves by the atmosphere. There is no dust pollution, no magnetic field, no interference from artificial light sources and radio waves on the back of the moon, and the earthquakes are very small. At the same time, the moon has long dark nights with extremely low temperatures. This environment provides an ideal place for building high-precision astronomical observatories.
7. Promote economic development
Developing the moon can produce immeasurable economic benefits, and the secondary development and application of other technologies will inevitably promote the development and improvement of industry.