What significance does lunar exploration have for mankind?

What does the detection of the moon mean to us?

This is a question that many ordinary people in China are asking. There are also voices of controversy in the Chinese scientific community. Is lunar exploration really meaningless to us? This is not the case. The seven major benefits it brings are foreseeable.

The need to safeguard my country’s lunar rights and interests. Although the “Agreement Guiding the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies” (referred to as the “Moon Treaty”) adopted by the United Nations in 1984 stipulates that the moon and its natural resources are human rights. *Same property cannot be appropriated by any country, group or individual as its own. However, the world's major space powers and international organizations are currently stepping up the implementation of lunar exploration plans. As a member of the United Nations Committee on Outer Space Affairs, only by carrying out lunar exploration and achieving certain results can our country have the strength to fulfill the Moon Treaty and share rights and interests in developing the moon, and safeguard our country's legitimate rights and interests.

The moon is the best platform for humans to study the universe and the earth itself. The scientific community believes that by studying the moon on these superior conditions without artificial modification and destruction on the lunar surface, we can understand the formation, evolution and structure of the moon. The study of information helps to understand the ancient state of the earth, the origin and evolution of the solar system and even the entire universe; it helps to clarify the relationship between space phenomena and natural phenomena on the earth, and can greatly enrich people's understanding of the earth, the solar system and the entire universe. The understanding of the origin and evolution and its characteristics, seeking clues about the origin and evolution of life on earth.

Developing the moon as an important carrier to promote the progress and development of science and technology is an unprecedentedly arduous undertaking that requires solving a series of problems, which will inevitably lead to the development of new technologies such as high-thrust rockets, giant spacecrafts, high-speed flight, artificial intelligence, and computers. , robotics, processing automation, precision instruments, remote sensing operations, communications, materials, construction, energy and other engineering technologies, as well as space biology, space physics, space astronomy and other science and technology.

Preparing for the development and utilization of lunar resources

According to previous detections, lunar rocks contain all material elements in the earth's crust, and about 60 kinds of mineral deposits. The lunar rock and soil is rich in oxygen, iron, magnesium, calcium, silicon, titanium, sodium, potassium, manganese and other substances. In addition, the moon is rich in energy, especially helium-3 on the moon, which is an efficient fuel for nuclear fusion reactions that is not available on the earth. It is estimated that the total amount of helium-3 resources in the lunar soil can reach 1 million to 5 million tons, which can support the earth's electricity demand for 7,000 years.

Promote deep space exploration

The gravity of the moon's surface is only 1/6 of that of the earth's surface. If a spacecraft takes off from the moon, it can greatly save energy. Oxygen accounts for 40% of the lunar rock soil, which can produce propellants on site and serve as a source of oxygen for controlled ecological environment and life support systems: silicon accounts for 20%, which can be used to make solar arrays for spacecrafts, and other metals can be made for spacecrafts. Various components and equipment can also use the moon as a transfer station to conduct maintenance and refueling for passing spacecraft.

A platform for astronomical observation and research

The geological structure of the moon's surface is extremely stable. The moon directly bears the radiation of the sun, and there is no interference from the atmosphere's absorption, scattering and refraction of light and radio waves. , there is no dust pollution, no magnetic field, there is no artificial light source or radio interference on the back of the moon, and the earthquakes are very small. At the same time, the moon has long dark nights with extremely low temperatures. This environment provides an ideal place for building high-precision astronomical observatories.

Promote economic development

Developing the moon can produce immeasurable economic benefits, and the secondary development and application of other technologies will inevitably promote the development and improvement of industry.

Luan Enjie, the commander-in-chief of China's lunar exploration project, gave an incisive and scientific explanation of this. He divided the exploration, development and utilization of the moon into three steps to explain. It can be summed up simply in three words, namely “explore, climb, and stay”. "Exploration" means exploring the moon. You must first understand the unknown moon and master the necessary information; "landing" means landing on the moon. Human beings can land on the moon, have close contact with lunar resources and return safely; "station" means landing on the moon. "Moon stationing" refers to the ability of equipment or humans to station on the moon in the short or medium to long term to realize the dream of developing or inhabiting lunar resources. Among them, "lunar exploration" can be divided into three periods, namely "circling", "setting" and "returning". The first phase of "orbiting" is to launch a satellite that revolves around the moon and carry out scientific exploration in the lunar polar orbit at an altitude of 200 kilometers from the lunar surface; the second phase of "landing" is to choose the right place to land on the lunar surface and use the lunar patrol vehicle to carry out scientific exploration. Exploration work; the third phase of "return" is to collect some samples and return them to Earth.

The moon is an ideal place to study astronomy, space science, earth science, remote sensing science, life science and materials science.

We have reason to believe that the successful lunar exploration of the "Chang'e 1" satellite is only the first step for China to enter deep space exploration. With the development of lunar exploration, it will help mankind to study the origin and evolution of the moon, the earth and the solar system, especially for some basic issues in lunar science, such as the formation process of the moon, the early evolution history of the moon, and the origin of lunar minerals. Formation and distribution characteristics, the formation and evolution of the Earth-Moon system, comparative studies of the Moon, the Earth and terrestrial planets, and their respective uniqueness and characteristics, etc. Only through a new round of detection can we obtain more systematic and in-depth information. understanding.