Lu Zhou, who was flipping through the meeting minutes, was suddenly called by Director Li. When he saw Director Li's eager eyes, he realized that he was being called.
Emmmm …
Isn't this guy supposed to speak first?
Even though Lu Zhou wasn't ready to say anything, since Director Li was being so polite, Lu Zhou was too embarrassed to continue sitting there.
So, he closed the meeting minutes in his hand, stood up, and coughed lightly.
He coughed and said, "I agree with Academician Yuan. The Moon is so big, there's a lot more we can do. Since the Americans are more interested in Mars … Let's do some things on the Moon that they haven't done before. For example, planting flowers and plants, or researching how to mine on the Moon. It's much more meaningful than just leaving footprints on the Moon. "
Speaking of which, whose opinion is this?
Whatever, I don't care.
When Lu Zhou sat back in his seat, he heard a lot of voices of agreement from behind him.
Yes, landing on the Moon was only the first step. There were many more things that could be done on the Moon, and there were many "firsts" that could be achieved. There was no need to be led by the nose by the Americans and go all the way to Mars just to leave a footprint or pick up a few stones.
At this point, there was actually no need to continue the discussion.
A veteran of the aerospace industry and a big name in academia both agreed to take the Moon route. Even if other people had different opinions, they could only hold it in.
Not to mention, the vast majority of people agreed with the two's proposal.
Director Li had a rough idea of the opinions of the experts present. He asked if anyone else had any other opinions. Seeing that no one else raised their hand, he spoke.
"It seems that there is no need to debate whether to take the Moon route or the Mars route. The Communist Party of China's opinion is similar. Compared to some empty glory, some practical things are more worth fighting for."
Director Li paused for a second and spoke.
"Then the next stage of our work will still be focused on the Earth-Moon system.
"After consultation with the National Space Administration and other departments, taking into account the increase in space activities in the future, our idea is to build a space station in outer space to supply spacecraft fuel and other materials. At the same time, some scientific research tasks that cannot be completed on the surface can be carried out in a deep space environment."
"Regarding this space station, the National Space Administration has come up with two sets of plans. One is in low-Earth orbit, targeting the International Space Station. The other is in lunar orbit, targeting the United States' lunar space station program that will be launched this year."
"Where should we build this space station? I hope that everyone can express their opinions! "
As soon as he finished speaking, a noisy discussion broke out in the conference room.
What was different from before was that this time, whether it was the experts present or the representatives from the companies, their desire to speak was much stronger, and the voices of debate were much louder.
There was no other reason. This was a major issue of national strategy. It was related to everyone's interests, whether it was scholars or companies.
Some people's opinions were more conservative. They believed that China should first build a space station in low-Earth orbit, then gradually upgrade its technology over a period of five years before advancing to lunar orbit.
Other people's opinions were relatively more radical. They believed that since China already had the ability to deliver 25 tons of Earth-Moon transfer orbit energy, they could completely build a space station in lunar orbit. There was no need to build a space station in lunar orbit since the International Space Station already existed.
After all, one of the most important aspects of the controllable fusion negotiations was to relax the entry threshold for international scientific research projects such as the International Space Station, so that China could participate on equal terms.
If Lu Zhou was asked which side he supported, he would undoubtedly support the latter.
After all, he had to complete the system mission. If he didn't use the state's funding, he wouldn't be able to complete the second phase of the mission with his own money.
Also, even though the current international situation was a bit difficult, he had always supported open cooperation and mutual benefit. He wanted to use science to achieve the common progress and prosperity of all mankind.
However, he was also a bit hesitant. Should he accumulate experience in low-Earth orbit first, or should he be brave and directly step into lunar orbit?
Lu Zhou listened to the argument and looked at Academician Yuan, who was sitting next to him. He noticed that this old man was frowning and thinking about something.
Maybe Yuan Huanmin noticed Lu Zhou's gaze, or maybe he wanted to ask for Lu Zhou's opinion, so he raised his head and spoke.
"What do you think?"
Lu Zhou didn't expect Yuan Huanmin to suddenly ask him this question. He was about to speak his mind when he suddenly thought about it and said, "You go first."
Academician Yuan went silent for a bit and sighed when he saw how Lu Zhou threw the ball back at him.
He then sighed and said, "To be honest, I don't know."
Lu Zhou raised his eyebrows and said, "You don't know?"
You don't know?
Aren't you supposed to have your own opinions?
"Yeah." Yuan Huanmin nodded and said emotionally, "Our country's aerospace industry started very late, but thanks to the pioneers, we didn't have to take a lot of detours. I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, but when the Columbia was successfully launched, we planned on building a space shuttle. Why didn't we do it? Mr. Qian supporting rockets is one thing, but the real deciding factor was the Americans themselves. Do you understand what I'm saying? "
Lu Zhou nodded and went silent for a bit.
"I understand, but this is nothing to laugh at."
Scientific research itself was a process of learning and discovery. No one was born with knowledge. It wasn't shameful to follow behind others. The key was to be able to summarize what one learned.
When he was studying in Princeton, he met a lot of respectable scholars and learned a lot from them. This valuable knowledge and experience contributed to his current achievements.
Lu Zhou also knew what Yuan Huanmin was worried about.
Now that China had successfully sent an astronaut to the Moon, they were at the forefront of the world in terms of both hard and soft power.
By now, all the stones in the river had been taken away, and the past could no longer be used as a reference.
Their future path could only be tried bit by bit by them, and they had to find the right path from their mistakes.
Lu Zhou looked at Academician Yuan and suddenly smiled. He said, "I think this is a good thing for us."
Academician Yuan frowned and said, "What do you mean?"
Lu Zhou: "This means that we will go from being the chasers to being the pioneers. We will set the standards of the world and watch as others follow us."
Academician Yuan paused for a second and smiled. He then shook his head.
"You guys are really interesting. Isn't it good to be rich?"
"Of course it's good." Lu Zhou sighed and said, "But I'm not strong enough."
You're still silently making a fortune.
You want to be second best?
I'm not stupid!
Old Mister Yuan smiled and said, "Forget it. Wait until this space station is built into the lunar orbit, then you can brag to me."
Lu Zhou: "…?"
What?
Since when are we so close that we can joke around?
However, what Lu Zhou didn't understand the most was how did this guy know that Lu Zhou supported the idea of building a space station in lunar orbit?
The debate at the meeting continued.
An expert from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation stood up. His beard trembled violently as he spoke in an unquestionable tone.
"Of course it's in low-Earth orbit!
"First of all, we can use the International Space Station as a reference. Even though it is difficult to achieve, it won't be difficult. Second, we can accumulate construction experience in low-Earth orbit and steadily push forward our aerospace strategy. This will help us accumulate experience in building a space station in lunar orbit in the future! "
During the meeting, many people with conservative opinions voiced their agreement.
There were also some representatives of companies that were mainly engaged in rocket launching projects who nodded in agreement.
However, suddenly, a voice was heard.
"I have an objection."
Many pairs of eyes turned in the direction of the voice.
The person who stood up was Professor Lu, who sent the three astronauts to the Moon.
Director Li, who was looking at the debate in the conference room, immediately sat up straight and said, "Please go ahead."
Lu Zhou smiled and said in a relaxed tone, "We're going to build a space station anyway, I think we might as well build it in lunar orbit!"
The moment he finished speaking.
The entire conference room became lively.
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