The Senate Commerce Committee, who oversees NASA, recently heard with a colorful title“There is a bad moon on growth: why Congress and NASA should fail China in the space race.”
As the title suggests, the committee called to examine the possibility that China could actually be the first country for the Moon and what can be done about it.
What is the Chinese danger in the view of the committee, and how did the US fail it? The consensus of the witnesses was that the return of the moon would get huge benefits in many areas.
Former NASA administrator Jim Bridanstein referred to these benefits as “dime” – “small for diplomatic, information, military, economic”. The country that returns to the moon will be the major power on Earth for a long time to come.
The witnesses referred to some economic benefits of space exploration, not only the moon, but also of the orbit of the Earth.
Mike Gold, president of the Civil and International Space for Redwire, said that his company has conducted several experiments at the international space station that leads the route to grow advanced pharmaceuticals and human organs.
Another theme that arose was mining PF Helium 3, which was an isotope with great promise for nuclear fusion from the moon.
There is also national security implications for return to the moon. The Moon, in some ways, is “high ground”, which allows the country that occupies it to exclude both hard power (military) and soft power (diplomatic and information).
America should be the nation that takes the world back to the moon. If China is the nation, the result will be disastrous, given the totalitarian government of that country and its imperialist campaign to dominate the earth.
Both witnesses and members of the committee were disappointing on the solution to prevent Chinese from returning to the moon. Many talked about a “grand strategy” for space, including not only the Moon but also the orbit of the Earth and also beyond. There was a lack of details what this grand strategy would be.
More than one participants mentioned the need for adequate and consistent money, something that is lacking during the previous attempt to return to the moon.
Chairman Ted Cruise (R-Texas) mentioned the continuity of architecture, which he saw as “premature” axis for purely commercial vehicles from the Orion/Space Launch System.
Gold and Brigenstine were particularly supporters of the Chandra Gateway, a lunar orbital space station that he suggested that the lunar would increase the operation of the surface.
Nuclear power also came for some praise. Witnesses recently constructed decision by interim NASA administrator Sean DafiLunar surface nuclear power plantAnd take it to the moon by 2030.
Bridenstine focused on a technology, which could prevent NASA and its colleagues from hitting China back to the moon. The SpaceX starship human landing system is far away from being on the lunar surface and the astronauts on the back being enough to take enough to take.
The things that the human landing system, including many fuel -filling missions in the orbit of the low earth, makes the vehicle very complicated to quickly become a lunar lander in their views.
Bridenstine suggested that he (or any) was a NASA administrator when a lunar lander was selected, the human landing system would not have cut.
Nevertheless, the Starship Human Landing System is a lander chosen to return astronauts on the moon. There is no possibility of the last minute replacement which will be ready in time.
SpaceX’s Elon Musk is in trouble for “sputinic moment” on the US steroids, pulling a rabbit, stretching his hat or sugar.
as mentioned In a previous articleWhat happens next depends on whether America reacts in the same way as the first artificial satellite of the Soviet Union.
A flag for the Moon and the Padayatra Mission will be a fleeting victory for China if NASA and its companions follow with a permanent moon base.
The future of the world depends on a policy with intelligent, clear -eyed that takes a temporary defeat and pressurizes the final victory.
Mark R. Whitington, who often writes about space policy, has published a political study of space exploration, titled “Why is it so difficult to go back to the moon?” as well as “Moon, Mars and beyond“And, recently,”Why is America going back to the moon?“He blogsKurmdzon Corner.
