So far, there has been little recognition of or concern about the Chinese moon program in U.S. The moon appears to be a large source of naturally occurring H3, a commodity that would be of such value that the transport back to Earth would be economically feasible. Scientists have acknowledged the usefulness of H3 in helping achieve nuclear fusion success. Third, as the nation in position to exploit moon resources, China could leapfrog the world in some important earthbound technologies. ![]() As the nation that establishes a permanent presence on the moon, the Chinese would have an ongoing international impact. As the second nation ever to land humans on the lunar surface, China would attain international prestige. Second, the Chinese have a long history of undertaking projects designed to enhance their national image. Without even ascribing any hostile intent to such a capability, our strategic planners would have to acknowledge the profound impact on the balance of power. But for our strategic thinkers and planners, there are some serious questions that arise from a Chinese moon capability.įirst, a nation with the technological capacity to do a sustained moon program would have achieved an ability to build, integrate and utilize spacecraft. The space technology available to us today could not be used to replicate what we did 35 years ago.įor many Americans, our inability to compete in a new moon race will not be important. We went to the moon, planted our flag, gathered samples, took credit for an amazing achievement in human history and then abandoned the effort. Regardless of who is right about the time frame, and I still believe that even a decade is ambitious, the fact remains that the Chinese are devoting resources and gearing up to do something that we are no longer technologically capable of achieving in the immediate future. In his view, the Chinese would be on the moon within three to four years. He smiled and said my conclusion was accurate but my timing was off. ![]() I related to him my belief that the Chinese would be on the moon within a decade with a declaration of permanent occupation. India already has created its own moon mission, in large part because they are monitoring Chinese space efforts.Īt my Washington office a few weeks ago, I met with a visiting Japanese parliamentarian who specializes in science and technology issues. Many Japanese space observers are convinced that China has a moon program and that, ultimately, Japan may be drawn into the competition. ![]() Put the Star City experience together with some direct discussions on the Pacific Rim and the picture becomes clear. EVAs are typically related to space-based construction work. You do not train for EVAs if you are doing simple orbital missions. The day we were visiting, the Chinese crew was utilizing the EVA (extra-vehicular activity) building. Since the Chinese space program seems to be basing its technology on Russian equipment, the presence of Chinese in Star City was not all that surprising. When the aerospace commission visited the Russian cosmonaut training facility at Star City, we found a Chinese crew in residence.
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