Where is the next stop for human flight?

One is the moon with craters everywhere, leaving human footprints, which can be seen from a distance. The other is Mars, which is full of yellow sand, lonely and empty, and inaccessible.

It has been nearly 50 years since man first landed on the moon. Should humans return to the moon after many years, or should they go to the stranger Mars?

At the 20 17 global space exploration conference held in Beijing, Mars and the moon became the focus of attention. Officials, scientists and engineers from space agencies around the world discussed topics such as Mars exploration, lunar exploration and manned deep space exploration.

"Manned space exploration, where do you want to go most?" This is a problem in the field investigation of delegates by the General Assembly. The results show that Mars is more popular than the moon.

Mars: the land of human dreams

Because Mars is the most similar planet to Earth in the solar system, it is considered as the first choice for human space immigrants.

Aldrin, the 87-year-old second man to land on the moon, once inspired countless people to join in space exploration, gave a keynote speech at this conference, introducing how to use gravity to design a circular orbit between the earth and Mars. According to his vision, humans can land on Mars before 2039 and establish permanent settlements on Mars.

Steve Eisenhardt, senior deputy manager of the Strategic and International Affairs Department of the American Aerospace Foundation, said that Aldrin spent nearly 30 years studying this way to reach Mars. Although he does not represent the US government or NASA, he agrees with Aldrin that Mars is indeed a good destination.

Wu Yanhua, deputy director of China National Space Administration, said that human beings should explore bravely and challenge the future. The moon witnessed the feat of human exploration of space in the 1960s and 1970s. The next step is to conquer Mars and other planets. Although there is no manned Mars exploration plan at present, China has started the unmanned Mars exploration project, and will launch a Mars probe in 2020, and reach Mars on 202 1.

There are also many representatives who believe that the dream of landing on Mars is still too far away, and the road to Mars hundreds of millions of kilometers away is tortuous and long. It is better to set a small goal first: return to the moon and use the moon as a testing ground for going to Mars.

Jane Werner, director of the European Space Agency, said: "Of course, humans should go to Mars, but I don't think it will be possible within 10 years."

He said that the current situation is very different from the era of Apollo's moon landing program. Man wants to go to Mars, and he can't take everything on the earth with him. They have to use the resources of Mars to build some facilities, and sustainable facilities for different purposes should be built on Mars. To achieve all this, the moon is the nearest testing ground, and humans can develop the technology needed to go to Mars and further deep space on the moon.

The Moon: An Important Step to Mars

The European Space Agency, which is keen on landing on the moon, put forward a plan to build a "Moon Village" and invited partners from all over the world, including China.

Werner said that from a scientific point of view, the moon is very attractive. There are natural archives of the early history of the earth, and the back of the moon is a good platform to peep into the deep space of the universe because it shields the interference of the earth. From a technical point of view, the moon is a testing ground for new methods and technologies, such as developing 3D printing technology that can make use of local resources.

He said that the "Moon Village" can be used as a base for human exploration of the moon and a transit station for exploration of Mars, and business plans including mining and tourism are not excluded. In the future exploration of Mars, the "Moon Village" can also be regarded as an important step.

Tian Yulong, secretary general of China National Space Administration, revealed that China is exploring cooperation with ESA to build a "Moon Village". The construction of the "Moon Village" can be completed by 3D printing, that is, the construction tools are transported to the surface of the moon by cargo spacecraft, and then the construction of a moon house can be completed within one week by using its own materials and lunar surface materials.

Yasunari Ito, deputy director of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, said that the Japanese have a tradition of worshipping the moon. "Our generation is deeply influenced by the Apollo program and has a very clear memory of it." He said that although Japan is also discussing Mars, it is now more inclined to plan step by step, so exploring the moon may be Japan's next goal.

Pascal Humphrey, chairman of the German Space Center Committee, said that it is very difficult to send people to Mars. How can we raise so much money? "We should take it step by step. The moon is an important step for us to go to Mars. "

China people: It is expected to land on the moon in 2030.

Wu, general manager of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, revealed at this conference that China has carried out research on the concept of manned landing on the moon.

Yang Liwei, deputy director of China Manned Space Engineering Office, also said at the meeting that China is carrying out pre-research and preparation for manned landing on the moon. Although the project has not been established, it should not take long. In a recent interview with the media, he predicted that Chinese astronauts would land on the moon around 2030.

When asked if he planned to go to the moon, Yang Liwei said that he had been taking part in training and could take part in tasks at any time according to his work needs. "If there is an opportunity, I want to go to the moon, no problem."

Sun Weigang, chief engineer of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation and deputy chief designer of the third phase of the lunar exploration project, said that the relatively complicated technical scheme was adopted because "by expanding the carrying capacity and detectors, increasing the life support system and improving the safety and reliability of products, we will have the ability to manned the moon."

Liu Jizhong, director of the Center for Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering of China National Space Administration, said that the moon is a springboard for human beings to leave the earth for deep space. At present, both traditional space powers and emerging space countries have plans to explore the moon. The concept of "Moon Village" put forward by ESA is also a long-term goal of China.

He said that for the follow-up lunar exploration, China is carrying out conceptual design and planning research, focusing on the South Pole of the Moon. More important scientific discoveries are being made to detect the water in the South Pole of the Moon and the permanent shadow area of the South Pole. China promotes international cooperation in lunar Antarctic exploration, and can cooperate in the construction of lunar scientific research stations, including the construction of long-term energy supply, independent lunar infrastructure and long-term scientific experiments.

Rocket: a means of transportation to deep space

The lack of more powerful vehicles is one of the main reasons why human beings can't walk on the red planet and go deeper into space.

American science and technology dreamer Musk has been looking forward to sending humans to Mars. Space Exploration Company, a space exploration technology company established for this purpose, is developing heavy falcon rockets to realize this grand blueprint. As the basis of this plan, Space Exploration Technology Company invested heavily in developing rocket recycling technology, with a view to greatly reducing the cost of emigrating to Mars.

China is also catching up in developing new cars. A new generation of launch vehicles Long March 5, Long March 6 and Long March 7 have been successfully developed and launched, and heavy rockets with higher carrying capacity will be developed.

Lu Yu, director of the Science and Technology Committee of China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, revealed at the Global Space Exploration Conference that China is developing key technologies for heavy-duty launch vehicles, which are mainly used for future deep space exploration, especially for the needs of establishing a lunar base and manned landing on the moon. The heavy-duty launch vehicle under development, temporarily called Long March 9, will have a low-earth orbit carrying capacity of 1.40 tons, and a transfer orbit carrying capacity of 50 tons, with the goal of making its first flight from 2028 to 2030.

He said that China is also conducting research on reusable launch vehicle technology, including parachute recovery and vertical takeoff and landing technology. At present, some tests have been completed and some key technologies have made breakthroughs. China has defined the "three-step" development idea of developing lifting body-type reusable launch vehicle, that is, from partial reuse of rocket power to complete reuse of rocket power, and finally developing combined power aircraft.

Wang Guoqing, vice president of China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, believes that the space transportation system is changing from "how to enter space" to "how to enter space at low cost", and low-cost entry into space has become the key development direction of all space powers. However, space launch requires high reliability and safety, and the reusable transportation system will face great technical challenges in this respect.

International cooperation: winning in space

Representatives of the aerospace industry from different countries expressed the same view: it is difficult for any country to explore other planets independently, and international cooperation is needed whether going to Mars or the moon.

Yu, deputy director of the Science and Technology Committee of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, vice chairman of the International Astronautical Federation and deputy chief designer of China's lunar exploration project, said that international cooperation has become the mainstream of space exploration. Any space exploration project will cost a lot of money, which is difficult and risky. Everyone hopes to give full play to the wisdom of all mankind and carry out international cooperation. If we can pool global wisdom, quickly achieve the goal of space exploration, resolve technical risks and share funds, it will be beneficial to all countries.

Liu Jizhong, director of the Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center of China National Space Administration, put forward an initiative of cooperation in exploring the moon at the conference: "Follow international laws, use space peacefully, carry out lunar exploration, and seek human welfare.". We advocate taking lunar exploration and scientific research as the guide, laying the foundation for the future international moon village and international scientific research station, and building an open cooperation platform according to the principles of open cooperation, * * * taking risks and * * * sharing achievements.

He said that international space agencies are welcome to cooperate with China to promote the development of lunar exploration. At the same time, space agencies of various countries should also strengthen intergovernmental cooperation and overall coordination, give full play to the final results of the lunar exploration mission, and promote the coordinated development of space technology, space science and space applications in various countries.

Regarding China's cooperation in exploring the moon, ESA Director Jane Werner said, "This is exactly what I expected. China's plan can perfectly match the moon village plan proposed by ESA. We have discussed with officials of the National Space Administration of China. "

"Compared with the space race, I think cooperation is always good and global cooperation is better. I hope that space cooperation can transcend the crisis on earth. We should not repeat our work, but unite and do more with the same money. " Werner said.