【By Liu Bai, Observer】U.S. politicians and media have been frequently hyping up the "China-U.S. Moon landing competition," and as China's project progresses steadily and solidly, this anxiety is increasingly intensifying.

Especially the pessimistic view that "China will surpass the U.S. in landing on the moon" has deeply hurt NASA's acting administrator and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

"This is mocking the entire NASA!"

According to internal speech recordings obtained by Bloomberg and other media, Duffy addressed NASA staff on September 4, vowing that the U.S. "will land on the moon before China," and win the "second space race."

Duffy refuted recent critics' views who claimed that China would return to the moon before the U.S.

But Duffy said it was impossible. He said, "If the final result is indeed so, then I'm really damned!" (I'll be damned).

NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy

Duffy mentioned his testimony from the previous day at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing, where some questioned whether NASA had the capability to send humans back to the moon's surface before China.

Duffy said, "Yesterday, there was testimony that 'NASA cannot land on the moon before China,' which is mocking the entire NASA (That was shade thrown on all of NASA)."

"We will definitely land on the moon before China. We will complete the mission safely, quickly, and without errors."

Saying it one way or another, Duffy also knows that NASA is currently facing a pile of problems.

Duffy said that sometimes NASA "makes safety an enemy of progress," and the agency must be able to "take some big steps." Also, NASA needs to reduce the cost of its crewed lunar landing program.

"If each launch costs $4 billion, maintaining a lunar program would become very difficult," Duffy said, seemingly citing an estimate from a 2021 NASA Inspector General report. "We must do things in a more cost-effective way."

NASA and the Department of Transportation spokespeople have not immediately responded to requests for comment.

According to a video clip obtained by Fox News, Duffy vowed that the U.S. would return to the moon before the end of President Trump's term, insisting that the U.S. would win the "second space race" against China.

In the video, Duffy said, "We will return to the moon, and this time, when we plant the American flag, it will stay there forever. I promise to achieve this goal before President Trump leaves office."

He added, "China wants to get ahead, but we will arrive faster. We will win this second space race."

Since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, no American astronauts have set foot on the moon's surface.

Despite a 24% budget cut for NASA in Trump's budget proposal, Duffy said the "Artemis" program would continue, ultimately helping the U.S. reach Mars.

He said this key space program, which began during Trump's first term, is crucial for the U.S. to maintain its dominance in space. "What we learn through Artemis will eventually take us to Mars."

"China has clear goals and unified actions, while looking at the U.S..."

It's not hard to see that behind Duffy's encouragement lies his growing lack of confidence. After all, there are many people who hold a negative attitude toward the U.S. lunar program due to technical and financial challenges.

Let's look at what was said in the hearing that has been bothering Duffy.

According to the "Space" website, the Senate Commerce Committee hearing raised alarms about the U.S.-China space competition, emphasizing that the U.S. must maintain its dominance beyond Earth.

The chairman of the committee, Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, warned at the beginning that if the NASA's "Artemis" program does not proceed smoothly, the U.S. might "lose the moon" to China.

December 16, 2022, Titusville, U.S., equipment for the second phase of the Artemis lunar program. IC Photo

Experts present at the meeting pointed out that China's core advantage lies in the government's "clear goals and unified actions" for the lunar mission architecture, while the U.S. faces the problem of policy changes due to government transitions, which harms long-term space missions spanning decades or generations.

Additionally, project delays, budget uncertainties, or shifting commitments may weaken the U.S. aerospace industry and international credibility, pushing international partners into China's arms.

Former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstein said that the current U.S. lunar architecture is fragile and overly dependent on SpaceX, making the plan vulnerable. "Unless changes are made, the U.S. is highly unlikely to surpass China's expected lunar timeline," he said.

He added that if the U.S. loses the lunar race to China, economic interests could shift towards China; similarly, if the U.S. cannot maintain a strong presence in low Earth orbit, it would not only weaken its own space operations but also push international partners towards China's Tiangong space station, thereby deviating from U.S. interests.

"For a long time, (U.S. space policy) has repeatedly changed between different administrations, causing serious damage, which is exactly the challenge NASA faces. Space exploration essentially requires efforts spanning decades or even generations, and it cannot be so capricious," Bridenstein said.

Mike Gold, president of Redwire's civil and international space division, expressed concern that if sustained funding is not secured and immediate action is not taken, the number of U.S. astronauts on the International Space Station could decrease from the current four to three or two, at which point China's number of astronauts in space would exceed that of the U.S., he said this situation was "unacceptable."

August 6, the lunar landing device successfully completed the integrated verification test of landing and takeoff on the moon. Visual China

Interestingly, an article recently published by Ars Technica journalist Eric Berger has caused a stir in the aerospace policy circle.

Berger, mentioning China's repeated successful tests of lunar-related hardware (including a prototype of a crewed lunar lander), as well as the series of setbacks experienced by SpaceX's Starship, came to a sobering conclusion: "It is now very likely that China will 'defeat' NASA and return to the moon this decade, and at least win the initial stage of this new space race."

"This conclusion is enough to make people feel down for the whole decade," said U.S. space writer Whittington, who thought that perhaps Berger had "given up too early," but he did sound the alarm. At some point in the future, people may gather around their televisions watching the first people to set foot on the moon since December 1972 speaking Chinese.

Although NASA plans to send astronauts to lunar orbit via the "Artemis 2" mission in early 2026, unless the Starship lunar lander can transport astronauts to the moon's surface, the subsequent "Artemis 3" mission cannot proceed. There is still a lot to be done before that.

According to the official schedule, the "Artemis 3" mission is planned to send astronauts to the moon in 2027, just two years away from now.

SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell assured Duffy that the Starship crewed landing system would be ready on time. However, no independent space observers believe the 2027 lunar landing goal is feasible, perhaps it will be possible by 2028.

Some U.S. politicians have even more imagination.

This February, at a commercial space conference in Washington, U.S. Congressman Bruce Babin, chair of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology from Texas, came up with an imaginative idea. He speculated that there might be a sign on the moon saying "No Entry" written in Chinese.

Babin said, "My top priority is to ensure that American astronauts return to the moon's surface, and we must do it before China."

Compared to the noise and chaos of the U.S. space program, China's lunar exploration program has progressed steadily and smoothly, with steady progress in crewed lunar landing development. It has conducted multiple lunar orbiting detection and sample collection missions, laying the foundation for the first Chinese astronaut landing on the moon before 2030.

On April 24 this year, Director of the China National Space Administration, Shan Zhongde, stated that the Chang'e lunar exploration program has always adhered to the principles of equal cooperation, peaceful use, and win-win cooperation, sharing the fruits of development with the international community. China will continue to open up international applications for lunar research samples, and we look forward to scientists around the world gaining more scientific discoveries, jointly expanding human cognition, and benefiting all humanity.

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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7546512544865862171/

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