Will humans continue to explore space?

On August 9, the American space shuttle Discovery landed safely. It is of great significance for human beings to explore space in the future and further develop manned space flight. At the same time, the US space shuttle returned to space for the first time in two and a half years, which attracted unprecedented attention from the US space community, public opinion and the public on the space shuttle's exploration of flight prospects and manned flight safety.

Critics question NASA's ability to meet key technical challenges.

Discovery was originally scheduled to be launched in mid-May this year, but when it was transported to the launcher and filled with ultra-low temperature liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen fuel for testing, the surface of the fuel tank froze, so the launch of Discovery was delayed. On June 30th, Griffin, director of NASA, announced that he had decided to launch on July 13, but at that time, the launch preparation review team suggested that three of the investigation committee's 15 safety recommendations were not up to standard.

After the launch of Discovery, waves of security risks have aroused the media's deep concern about whether Discovery can return safely.

The media here criticized NASA for its serious misjudgment. The New York Times asked on July 3 1, What the hell is going on? Obviously, it is not only the missed opportunity and misjudgment in solving the shedding problem after the Columbia accident, but also the problem in the whole process of the space shuttle project. It was the misjudgment of NASA that brought a series of troubles to Discovery. The New York Times also published a number of letters from readers, accusing NASA of sacrificing safety in order to launch as soon as possible, showing that NASA is desperate to support the success of the space shuttle; Sometimes it's worth risking your life, but the space shuttle project should not be a bet.

Some Americans say that the current manned flight has little contribution to real space exploration, and even sending people to Mars can't solve the problem. Almost all the money spent on exploration projects can only ensure that astronauts are alive; Astronauts entering space did not strengthen the ability of mechanical equipment to detect signs of life in space. Paying a lot of money for a few people to survive in space will greatly diminish the significance of NASA spending a lot of money to study the earth from space. It is better to study how to ensure the welfare of all people on earth.

A series of safety "symptoms" of Discovery, especially the stubborn disease that the thermal insulation foam falls off, make space experts pessimistic about the prospect of manned space exploration. I am quite pessimistic about the future of the space shuttle program and I am also pessimistic about the future of the manned flight program in the United States, said Ranius, director of the space history department of the National Air and Space Museum. For many people, NASA's ability to cope with key technical challenges has been questioned because it failed to solve the problem of insulation foam falling off the external fuel tank.

At the same time, a poll conducted by CBS on 1222 adults from September 29th to August 2nd showed that the number of people who thought the space shuttle project was worth continuing was plummeting, and only about 59% thought it was worth continuing the experiment, compared with 75% in early 2003.

Even the senior astronaut who was flying in space at that time said, "This is not a question of fear. We are disappointed and shocked. We didn't expect it. " Griffin also admitted that NASA made a mistake in the safety inspection before the launch of the space shuttle Discovery. "This is a big mistake," but Griffin argued that in such a complicated mechanical engineering, "it is impossible to eliminate all risks."

Supporters believe that if you want to master space technology, you should be prepared to take risks.

In this reflection and debate about whether the manned space shuttle flight is worth continuing, supporters believe that NASA has achieved a series of successes in recent years, including the "Courage" and "Opportunity" probes that landed on Mars early last year and are still working hard on the surface of Mars; Cassini was sent into space on 1997. After landing on Titan (Saturn's largest satellite) at the beginning of this year, it is still sending back pictures of Saturn and Titan.

It is emphasized that there will always be dangerous factors in opening up new frontiers; If the United States wants to take the lead in space, it must be prepared to take risks; For those who have a vital interest in this, such as Florida, where the Kennedy Space Center is located (because Jeb, the governor of this state, is the younger brother of President Bush and is called "the area related to the White House" by the media), the existence of the space center and the repeated launch of the space shuttle mean a large number of tourists and a large number of employment opportunities.

Another NASA space center is located in Texas, and the ground command system of the space shuttle after launch is located at Johnson Space Center in Houston. For people who followed the news of space launch all the way, they felt relaxed for a long time when Discovery finally ignited and lifted off. When Griffin announced that the space shuttle would be grounded in the United States before the problem of insulation foam shedding was solved, the short-lived euphoria of the staff in the central canteen disappeared immediately, and people's mood suddenly became heavy.

People are asking: Why take the risk?

With the arrival of the return date of Discovery, the hearts of the American people are also in their throats. In particular, the generation that experienced two space shuttle tragedies still remembers the tragedies of Challenger and Columbia and the deaths of all astronauts.

For many Americans, space exploration and manned spaceflight are some symbols of national self-confidence and self-esteem. Americans have long been accustomed to linking space exploration with collective honor, and also regard space as a new frontier of the United States to some extent.

The regular take-off and landing of the space shuttle seems to be the label of a powerful country in science and technology and a powerful country in space. During the more than two years when the space shuttle was grounded, American space fans and elites felt a sense of loss. The stop-and-go and twists and turns before and after the launch of Discovery plunged the American people into a whirlpool of self-doubt. Is the manned space shuttle worth it? Why fly when the risk is so great?

When the "deep impact" comet presented a big gift for the American Independence Day on July 4, the official statement of NASA emphasized the "content" of science and technology: the data obtained from the deep impact experiment can provide opportunities for human beings to understand the formation of the solar system and the specific substances inside the comet, and help people make breakthroughs in understanding the formation of the earth and the origin of life.

According to the space development plan put forward by Bush in June 5438+10, the recent work is to resume the launch of the space shuttle in order to complete the international space station project in which the United States participates. By 20 10, most related work of the space station will be stopped, the space shuttle will be eliminated and a new generation of spacecraft will be developed.

As for the launch of Discovery, in the eyes of American media, scientific and technological exploration is one aspect, but the prestige of the United States, the face of a space power and its influence on national security may be more weighty subtext. According to The New York Times's analysis, "the politically popular space shuttle program may be hard to kill". According to the article, some people may speculate that this is the last flight of the space shuttle, but it is still too early to draw conclusions. NASA officials, the Bush administration and Congress all believe that the United States will develop the next generation of spacecraft sooner or later. The article holds that, in a sense, the political "content" of Discovery's adventure take-off is more important, and the United States will take this as a starting point to develop a new generation of space technology. In addition, if the United States is allowed to abandon the space shuttle, it can only rely entirely on Russia to go to the International Space Station. This is unacceptable to the United States at present.

Curiosity and desire, especially possessiveness. Want to occupy the resources and space of the whole universe.

First, understand the evolution of the universe and its various physical phenomena and processes;

Second, understand the position and significance of human beings and life on earth in the universe;

Third, develop various space technologies and apply them in various fields;

Fourth, explore and occupy all kinds of space resources;

Fifth, make use of the extreme environment of space to carry out various scientific and technological experiments;

Sixth, show the country's advanced and powerful;

The successful launch of Shenzhou VI once again aroused the pride of China people, and two astronauts Fei and Nie Haisheng became new national heroes. However, some scholars pointed out that the public and the media should not only cheer and establish new heroes, but also understand the significance of Shenzhou VI to China's science and technology, economy, military and people's daily life.

China military experts believe that the successful launch of Shenzhou VI is of great military value. With the development of missile technology and space technology, China should take the road of national defense modernization of "spacecraft instead of aircraft carrier".

These days, China media reported more about Shenzhou VI than the Fifth Plenary Session of the 16th CPC Central Committee which closed the day before yesterday. The live broadcast of the Shenzhou VI launch by CCTV yesterday attracted about 500 million people. Due to the official's quite open attitude towards the launch of Shenzhou VI, the news war triggered by Shenzhou VI was even more intense than that of Shenzhou V launched two years ago.

However, many media reports on Shenzhou VI have turned into a "star-making movement". They use "idolization" to dig deep into the personal data of astronauts and even fry their families and hometowns. It seems that astronauts are the number one heroes who can go to heaven with Shenzhou VI, and the significance of Shenzhou VI is just to create two heroes.

Some scholars have pointed out that Shenzhou VI's going to heaven is certainly worthy of people's yelling, and Fei and Nie Haisheng are certainly worthy of praise, but these are far from all that Shenzhou VI brought to China. Besides cheering and idolizing, the media should introduce more about the scientific and technological significance, economic value and influence on the lives of ordinary people of Shenzhou VI, so that more people can understand why China is developing its space industry vigorously when it is not rich.

According to the data provided by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, 80% of China's new materials 1000 in recent years were developed under the traction of aerospace technology. Nearly 2,000 achievements in space technology have been transplanted to various sectors of the national economy.

Another scholar believes that the development of China's space industry will help shape China's space culture. There will undoubtedly be descendants of dragons with black hair and eyes in future space movies to save the world and compete with aliens; In pop music, there will be more sounds of nature inspired by Shenzhou. China people will also learn to reflect the multiple feelings of human beings about space exploration to the whole world in an oriental way.

A spaceship, not an aircraft carrier.

Teng Jianqun, an expert from China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, published an article in People's Daily yesterday, expounding shenzhou spaceship's military value, arguing that China should abandon the idea of building an aircraft carrier and vigorously develop space technology instead.

He pointed out that with the progress of missile technology and space technology, the dominant position of aircraft carriers is gradually being weakened. "Should our 2 1 century troops be equipped with the main equipment carriers of World War II to meet the challenges of 2 1 century? The answer isno. "

Teng Jianqun said in this article entitled "Want a spaceship, not an aircraft carrier" that at present, developed countries are putting the commanding heights of competition on information and space technology. Battlefield space is infiltrating into outer space and computer space. China must participate in the competition of information and space technology and make achievements in these two fields.

A scholar from China National Defense University pointed out that the frontier position of international military science and technology development in 2 1 century is in space. Compared with the traditional land, sea and air, space will be the real military "commanding height". China must strive for the initiative in the increasingly fierce space technology, otherwise it will be unable to meet the future military challenges.

"Shenzhou VI" went to heaven, and the whole country rejoiced. China is gradually entering the ranks of space exploration powers, and the development of space technology is of course crucial to the national strategy. However, since mankind began to explore space, technological progress has pushed human vision and hope into the vast space. As earthlings, * * * participated in the same capacity and jumped out of the narrow competition between countries, because we all know that in the face of boundless space, human beings and countries can only be a "global village". In addition, if there are too many people in the future, you can immigrate.