This star is going to the moon

Chapter 424 The Lao-Chinese Declaration on Manned Lunar Landing: Since Ancient Times!
Sometimes, I think there are advantages to slower technological development, such as the advantage of being a latecomer in technology. A good comparison is between our brand-new Tiangong space station and the aging International Space Station, and the current state-of-the-art Mars rover.

[That's absolutely true. It's not just in aerospace, but also in the military. Our Type 055 destroyer is really impressive. The American destroyers are just too outdated; that old-fashioned clothesline antenna is simply unbearable to look at.]

That makes sense, but it feels like if we succeed, and other countries' technological development is slow... then there won't be any further opportunities for development.

[The US has tried to leverage its late-mover advantage, for example with its Littoral Combat Ship and Zumwalt-class destroyers, but ultimately it made a mess of things and ended up with nothing.]

Yes, it seems like something's wrong with the US; their strategic development direction and technological advancements seem a bit off.

This is none of our business. Lu Yun is about to go on stage, let's hear what he has to say...

【They're here! They're here!】

[Haha, Lu Shen is something else! The atmosphere immediately became lively the moment he appeared.]

Wow, what big project is he talking about? Is it a manned lunar landing?

【No way……】

[Yeah, we never heard anything before, and now it's coming all of a sudden?]

I feel there's a high probability that the heavy-duty long-range 10mm project will be approved, right? After all, the basic long-range 10mm project was successful, so the time is ripe to approve the heavy-duty long-range 10mm project.

[Let's wait and see. Lu Yun is known for keeping his word. Since he's said it now, there must be a big job coming up. I just don't know how big it is...]

[There was a speech from the boss in the afternoon, was it to send blessings...?]

When it comes to the advantage of being a latecomer in technology, China and Laos have a particularly clear advantage in the aerospace field.

Lu Yun's "Wind and Fire Wheel" is similar in appearance to the first generation of American Mars rovers, called the "Sojourner" Mars rover, and is basically a square box about the size of a microwave oven.

However, the technological advantage of China's late-mover advantage is not just for show. The "Wind and Fire Wheel" mini Mars rover manufactured by Lu Yun only resembles that one in appearance, but its technology is actually much more advanced.

Even the exterior design has undergone many subtle changes. For example, the highest point of the Sojourner is the antenna that stands on its back, and its camera is mounted in front of the "box" with a very low field of view.

The cameras on the "Hot Wheels" have a special lifting robotic arm that provides a high-angle observation capability, making it easier to find your way.

Want to get close enough to photograph the Martian surface? No problem, it's equipped with an ultra-high-definition camera.

This is the advantage of developing technology later.

Furthermore, the advanced antenna of the "Wind and Fire Wheel" can be directly connected to the orbiter of Tianwen-1, allowing it to operate within a large range, unlike the "Sojourner" which, due to its weak antenna signal, can only operate within 500 meters of the lander.

The Tianwen-1 Mars probe belongs to the "Tianwen" series of probes, so after Lu Yun finished speaking, the subsequent series of probe plans for "Tianwen" were also announced.

Tianwen-2 is tasked with asteroid sample return and is expected to launch around 2025.

Tianwen-3 is impressive; it's designed to compete with the US's Mars sample return mission and is planned to be launched around 2030.

Tianwen-4 went even further, aiming to explore the Jupiter system, a mission also launched around 1930.

These are both long-ago tasks, so I won't go into the details of what comes next, as it hasn't been finalized yet.

After that, some other activities were carried out, and the morning passed by. The big event that Lu Yun had mentioned did not happen, and everyone guessed that the Chang'e mission would be announced in the afternoon.

After all, compared to Mars, the various tasks of the Chang'e project are "close at hand" and account for a very large proportion of the budget.

The Space Day theme only lasts one day, but related activities will be held for several days, such as a space culture festival, a space model exhibition, space knowledge popularization, and corporate exhibitions, all of which will take place in other parts of Nanjing. The afternoon will be dedicated to lunar exploration, with a focus on the fourth phase of the lunar exploration program.

The national space agency team determined the mission of the Chang'e 6 probe: to collect samples from the far side of the moon and return them.

The launch is scheduled for May next year.

Then there are the Chang'e 7 and Chang'e 8 probes, which will form the basic model of the lunar south pole research station.

Of course, it's an unmanned lunar south pole research station.

It includes a lunar orbiter, lander, lunar rover, spacecraft, and several scientific instruments.

The mission of Chang'e-7 is also to find water at the lunar south pole. Unlike the "Wu Gang" series probes, which only carried a lunar rover and operated only outside the crater, the "leapfrog" on Chang'e-7 will fly directly into the shadow area of ​​the crater to conduct exploration and search for possible water or water ice on the moon.

The launch date for Chang'e 7 is still uncertain, but it will likely be two or three years from now.

If one of the probes in the "Wu Gang" series can determine that there is water in a certain shadowed crater, or in other words, the detection and analysis show that there is a high probability of water, then Chang'e 7 will land next to that "Wu Gang" crater and let the spacecraft fly into the shadowed area to accurately find the water.

If the "Wu Gang" series cannot find water, then Chang'e 7 will choose a new destination for exploration and search.

The mission of Chang'e-8 is different from that of Chang'e-7. Chang'e-7 was to search for resources, while Chang'e-8 was to verify the technology for utilizing lunar resources.

For example, one mission project involves carrying a large lunar robot to verify 3D printing technology for making lunar soil bricks, in order to conduct experiments for building a scientific research base on the moon in the future.

If successful, then the scene in "The Wandering Earth 2" where the intelligent lunar rover 3D prints a lunar test base might not be science fiction anymore.

However... these are not the kinds of shows people want to see.

Just as many people were starting to get impatient, the Space Day event connected live with the oldest member of the Lao-Chinese delegation, who was about to deliver an important speech!
This segment was on the previous program schedule, but people thought it was just a video message to congratulate the Space Day event. They didn't expect it to be a live video connection, and an important speech at that!

At this moment, both the audience at the scene and the viewers in the live broadcast room subconsciously held their breath.

Lu Yun was also on high alert!
Although he already knew what that person was going to say.

"Hello to everyone at the Space Day event and those watching on screen!"

"Since ancient times, the bright moon hanging high in the night sky has been the aspiration of the Chinese people!"

"From the romantic legend of Chang'e flying to the moon, to the fantastical imagery of Wu Gang chopping down the cassia tree, the Jade Rabbit pounding medicine, and the golden toad spitting out treasure, from the flying fairies gazing at the jade plate in the Dunhuang murals, to the millennia-old question of 'When will the moon be bright?' 'The moon has long been imprinted in the cultural genes of the Chinese nation, becoming a spiritual totem for us to pursue the unknown and explore the distance.'"

"This yearning has never faded over thousands of years, so we proposed the lunar exploration program at the end of the last century and officially started its implementation at the beginning of this century, which is the Chang'e Project that everyone knows."

"To this day, our unmanned probe has orbited the moon, landed on the moon, and brought back precious lunar soil, successfully completing the initial 'orbiting, landing, and returning' unmanned exploration mission of the Chang'e Project."

"However, this is not the end of the Chang'e project, but the first step in the three-step process of 'exploration, landing, and stationing' of my country's Chang'e project!"

"Today, we stand at a new historical starting point, facing a great transformation unseen in a century. I solemnly declare: my country's manned lunar landing program has officially begun!"

"This is not a momentary impulse, but an inevitable continuation of the millennia-old dream of the Chinese people!"

"This is not an isolated exploration, but an indispensable new chapter in the journey of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation!"

(End of this chapter)