PDLP Chapter 1491 How to catch up with China?
Chapter 1491 How to catch up with China?
Chapter 1491 How to catch up with China?
After the press conference of the China National Space Administration ended, global public opinion began to ferment.
Although most countries expressed appreciation and expectations for China's proposed "space station" concept, there are also constant voices of doubt.
The next day, The Wall Street Journal published a commentary titled "China's Space Ambition: Grand Blueprint or Mirage?" The author David Peterson wrote: "China's space industry has indeed made great progress in the past 1960 years, but we must be aware that they have not yet achieved a manned moon landing, and their Mars probe has only had one successful record. In contrast, the United States achieved the feat of completing seven lunar exploration missions in one year in the s, at the height of the Cold War."
The article continued to analyze: "The transfer station concept proposed by China needs to break through many technical bottlenecks: high-thrust rockets, space nuclear power, in-orbit construction, etc. The United States had mastered the basics of these technologies half a century ago, but even with the industrial strength of the United States at that time, it had never considered such a radical plan. This makes people wonder whether China has overestimated its own technological strength?"
Anyone can see at a glance the complex emotions hidden in the text.
But no one can deny that everything said in it is true.
Similar views are emerging in Western media. Former NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver said bluntly in an interview with CNN: "This is more like political propaganda than a scientific plan. China's investment in the aerospace field accounts for only 0.05% of GDP, far lower than the 4% during the US Apollo program. Without sufficient financial support, any grand plan can only be empty talk."
However, all these doubts fell on deaf ears and received no public response.
Just when everyone thought that China might be handling the matter in a low-key manner, the National Space Administration held a second press conference three days later.
But this time, it was together with the Russian Federal Space Agency to brief on the Firefly-1-Phobes joint exploration mission.
On the giant screen in the center of the venue, high-definition images of the surface of Mars were clearly visible, with the rust-colored dunes and jagged rocks captured in stunning detail by professional equipment. On one side of the image, a set of scientific data charts were constantly being updated.
"According to the latest data from the Yinghuo-35-Phobes joint exploration mission," said Lin Jianhua, chief scientist of the China National Space Administration, in a voice clearly transmitted to the headphones of every reporter through the simultaneous interpretation system, "we have confirmed that there are large areas of water ice deposits in the shallow layer of the Martian surface, especially in the area between 65 and 7 degrees north latitude. The water ice content may reach more than % of the surface material."
The sound of keyboard typing was immediately heard in the conference hall.
Reuters' Mark Case quickly wrote on the screen the significance of the discovery.
[Water means potential for survival, convenience for future base construction, and a more attractive prospect for Mars colonization]
In fact, the water ice on the surface of Mars is still a billion points different from the commonly understood water, but Keith himself is not interested in delving into these details. Secondly, he is now only interested in making a big news that is eye-catching enough -
His behavior of reporting directly to the headquarters a few days ago would undoubtedly offend his immediate superior, Kerry Gracey. If he could really come up with a super popular column, then of course the prospects would be bright, and he might even be able to replace the other party.
But if the response is mediocre in the end, you will inevitably be in trouble.
It should be said that Case is relatively lucky.
Because the real bombshell is yet to come.
"More importantly," said Director Sun Yanlai, who was standing next to him, taking the microphone. His voice was calm but powerful, and every word was resounding. "Yinghuo-1 has confirmed for the first time that there is a permanent metal ion layer in the upper atmosphere of Mars, and its density and distribution characteristics are highly correlated with the local magnetic field on the surface of Mars."
Case paused for a moment in his typing.
He still remembered that at the last press conference a few days ago, the spokesperson had said that the magnetic field could protect humans or equipment operating on the surface of the planet.
"The next stage of the mission." Sun Yanlai clicked the remote control, and a set of complex spectral data appeared on the big screen: "It is particularly worth noting that we will use the magnetometer array carried by 'Firefly 1' to map the distribution of the local magnetic field on the surface of Mars in detail, providing a scientific basis for more in-depth exploration activities in the future."
Case Lightspeed modified the new title: [Mars exploration confirms key findings: water ice and magnetic field may rewrite the timetable for human migration to Mars].
This is definitely explosive news, enough to silence those who question whether China's space program is just political propaganda.
Of course, it was enough to shut up Editor-in-Chief Gracie who was jumping up and down in the office...
If news headlines are allowed to continue to escalate in this way, the scope of discussion will soon get out of control.
Fortunately, in addition to traditional reporters like Case, there were some more professional people on the scene.
For example, James Wilson, senior scientific editor of Nature magazine.
He rushed to China from Germany a day ago to paved the way for the visiting ESA delegation, but happened to catch this second press conference.
"Director Sun, does this mean that China is already preparing for a manned mission to Mars?"
Sun Yanlai smiled and said, "Scientific exploration is a gradual process. Our current priority is to improve our understanding of the Martian environment and lay the foundation for deep space exploration activities for all mankind." He paused, then changed the subject, "Of course, if the international community has a demand for manned Mars exploration, China is willing to share this data and provide technical support."
This is a rather euphemistic and formulaic answer, but it is not difficult for experienced people to analyze the real answer from it:
Yes.
Less than two hours after the press conference ended, major media outlets around the world had spread the news.
CNN's technology columnist said bluntly during the live broadcast: "This may be one of the most important space discoveries of this century. It not only confirms the potential of Mars as a 'second Earth', but also demonstrates China's growing strength in deep space exploration."
In the field of professional science, the discussion is even more heated.
A user named "Red Planet" wrote in the comment section: "The metal ion layer means that the Martian atmosphere is more active than we thought, which may be due to the interaction between the solar wind and the residual magnetic field. If a sufficiently strong local magnetic field area can be found, the future Mars base will have natural radiation protection."
At the same time, the atmosphere at NASA headquarters was so solemn that it was almost as if water could be squeezed out of it. In the office of Director Charles Bolton, more than a dozen senior officials sat around a conference table, and a large screen on the wall was playing clips of the Huaxia press conference.
"How did they do it?" frowned Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate. "Our Mars Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have been operating for so many years and have not been able to find this metal ion layer."
"It's not that we didn't find it, it's that we didn't think about it." Charles Elage, director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, smiled bitterly and shook his head. "When we designed these two probes, we hadn't considered using the residual magnetic field of Mars to provide protection for surface activities, so the sensitivity and coverage of the magnetometer were not enough."
Director Bolton rubbed his temple:
"Now is not the time to discuss scientific details. The White House has already called three times and the media is blocking the door. We need a response, a response that satisfies the public and Congress."
"What can we offer?" someone asked in a low voice.
"Curiosity," Bolton sighed. "It's much more advanced than the Chinese and Russian probes, but the problem is that it won't be launched until next year."
Curiosity was originally scheduled to launch in mid-2009, but a minor problem delayed its delivery by several months.
Mars exploration is different from the moon. The launch window is about once every two years. If you miss it, you can only wait until the next time.
In fact, another advantage of the transfer station solution is that it can relax the requirements for the track and greatly shorten the interval between window periods.
"Then announce it in advance," suggested the director of NASA's public affairs office. "Direct the media's attention to the future, and emphasize how many times more advanced the instruments that Curiosity will carry are than those of Firefly 1."
"There's also the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (MAVEN)," Zurbuchen added. "While it's primarily studying atmospheric escape, we can repackage it and say it's also studying this newly discovered ionosphere... We can talk about the longer term later."
And so, with a hastily put together strategy, NASA held an emergency press conference.
When spokesperson Faissa Faun walked up to the podium, cameras and flashes were immediately focused on her.
"NASA congratulates China and Russia on their new discoveries in Mars exploration." Faun's opening remarks sounded polite, but anyone familiar with NASA's speaking style could hear the reluctance in them. "This once again proves the value of international scientific cooperation."
A reporter immediately raised his hand and asked, "Ms. Faun, China has announced a grand plan including a lunar base and an Earth-Moon transfer station, but you are preparing to retire the space shuttle and hand over the key to the Americans' space to the Russians. Many people are worried that the United States will lose its leadership in space. What is your response to this?"
The corners of Faon's mouth twitched slightly: "The end of the space shuttle era does not mean the end of the US manned space program. NASA is introducing commercial capital and encouraging private enterprises to participate in the development of a new generation of spacecraft." She listed the new generation of manned spacecraft contracts signed with Boeing, SpaceX and other companies, emphasizing that this will open "a new chapter in space exploration."
But such a response obviously cannot meet the expectations of the public and the media.
"How is the United States going to catch up with China in deep space exploration?"
The problem becomes more and more acute.
Faon's expression instantly turned quite ugly, but it was obviously not a good idea to lose his temper in such a situation.
"It needs to be emphasized that the United States does not need to catch up with anyone." She took a deep breath, her lips trembling slightly, and her tone was a little aggressive. "Mr. Reporter, perhaps I can help you recall that 40 years ago in July 1969, Apollo 7 had already carried three astronauts to the moon. In 11, Viking 1975 and Viking probes successfully achieved a soft landing on Mars... In the field of deep space exploration, the United States still maintains an absolute and sole leading position."
To be fair, there is actually nothing wrong with what Faong said.
But due to the reporter's clever questioning and her slightly excited attitude, the effect was that NASA was sleeping on its laurels...
After calming down a bit, Faon also realized this problem, so he quickly continued to add:
"As for now, you may remember the Lockheed Martin Orion spacecraft I just mentioned."
She showed a CG composite photo:
"Orion uses a modular design and special landing technology. It can not only travel between the Earth and the International Space Station, but also add an additional ascent stage to serve as a transportation vehicle to other planets..."