The Chang’e-6 lunar probe returner is opened during a ceremony at the China Academy of Space Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation in Beijing, capital of China, June 26, 2024. The Chang’e Lunar Probe -6 returner was opened at a ceremony in Beijing on Wednesday afternoon. During a ceremony at the China Academy of Space Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, researchers opened the return and examined key technical indicators. Photo: Xinhua
As the US space industry has recently faced further delays and stagnation as key components including manned spacecraft and spacesuits have “broken down”, NASA once again resorted to its “sour grapes” rhetoric after seeing China successfully acquire a fresh moon soil from distant lands. side of the Moon by claiming that China did not directly invite its scientists to participate in lunar soil research.
The behavior is a typical blame-shifting ploy, Chinese experts said, noting that it is clear to everyone that it is the US’s own laws, not China’s, that limit space cooperation between the two sides. Instead of deceiving itself by distorting the truth, the US should face its own problem of overall weakening of engineering capabilities and lack of long-term planning in its space industry.
After the Chang’e-6 samples, weighing nearly 2 kilograms, were safely transported to a special laboratory for further study on Friday, NASA spokeswoman Faith McKie told media that while China was working with the European Space Agency, France, Italy and Pakistan . mission, “NASA was not invited to participate in the lunar probe.”
NASA also received “no direct invitation” to study moon rocks in China after welcoming all scientists from around the world to apply for the study, McKie told NatSec Daily.
In response to the remarks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning told the Global Times on Monday that China is open to space exchanges with the US and also welcomes countries from around the world to participate in the study of lunar samples. “However, the US side seems to have forgotten to mention its domestic legislation such as the Wolf Amendment. The real question is whether US scientists and institutions are allowed by their own government to participate in cooperation with China,” Mao said.
“The existence of the Wolf Amendment has basically closed the door on space cooperation between the two countries,” Wang Yanan, editor-in-chief of the Beijing-based journal Aerospace Knowledge, told the Global Times on Monday.
Although U.S. research institutions are willing to cooperate with China on opportunities such as lunar sample research, institutions there must obtain special approval from the U.S. Congress due to the presence of this amendment, Wang explained. Currently, no such “green” is in sight from Congress.
In addition, China’s cooperation with international partners is based on equality and mutual benefit, and utilizes their respective scientific resources, facilities and expertise. But the US only wants what it doesn’t have, and its engagement with China would only benefit itself, Wang noted.
NASA has been beset by a number of burning issues recently, the latest of which is Boeing’s Starliner manned spacecraft, which experienced helium leaks and thruster problems during docking with the International Space Station (ISS) on June 6, leading to an indefinite delay of its the crew’s return to Earth, despite NASA’s insistence that they were not “stuck” in space.
The return of the Starliner capsule, though already delayed by two weeks, will be delayed “well into the summer” pending the results of tests of the new thrusters, which are scheduled to begin Tuesday and take about two weeks or longer, according to NASA officials.
Earlier on June 24, NASA canceled an ISS spacewalk after a “serious situation” in which one of the suits experienced a hatch coolant leak. During the live broadcast, the astronauts reported “literally water everywhere” as they prepared for the extravehicular activity, space.com reported.
The report says this is the second time this particular spacewalk has been delayed, after a June 13 attempt with another group of astronauts was pushed back due to “discomfort in the spacesuit.”
Recurring problems with the suits are due to their much longer lifespans, the media said, since the puffy white ones US astronauts currently wear were designed more than 40 years ago.
Despite the urgent need to replace them, NASA recently announced it was abandoning a plan to develop next-generation spacesuits that were supposed to be delivered by 2026, CNN reported Thursday.
One of the main causes of such problems is that the US has developed many large technology conglomerates that have benefited significantly from government contracts and industrial monopolies for a long time. As a result, the level of attention paid to many complex engineering fields is severely lacking, Wang noted.
It also reflected the US’s lack of long-term strategic planning for its manned space program. For example, the aging spacesuits should have been replaced ten years ago to ensure that the operational spacesuits remained in serviceable condition. Failure to address the issue results in the obstruction of essential space station maintenance tasks and even poses life-threatening risks to astronauts in emergency situations, experts said.
The problems with the Boeing spacecraft and the spacesuits were not isolated problems, but reflected a systemic problem in the U.S. space industry — an overall weakening of engineering capabilities, they noted.