Global sandstorm?
After hearing Hou Guang's words, Lu Zhou looked at the calendar on the corner of the table and confirmed that it was 2021.
Hou Guang noticed Lu Zhou's movements and guessed what he was thinking.
"I know you're surprised … In fact, the astronomical observers at the Qianzhou Radio Observatory are also surprised. Logically speaking, on average, a global sandstorm occurs on Mars every five to six years."
Hou Guang's tone was a bit complicated.
Even though it was a good thing for them that their competitors were in trouble, NASA didn't want to see them fail. It wouldn't be in their best interest if the Ares program went bankrupt.
Lu Zhou listened to Hou Guang's report and thought for a bit.
"Do you know why?"
Hou Guang paused for a second and smiled bitterly.
"How would I know …"
Climate change on Mars had always been very mysterious. Due to the thin atmosphere and severe desertification, there was basically no reliable observation method that could accurately predict climate change.
Based on their experience, people could only infer that summer was the period of frequent sandstorms. The global sandstorms occurred once every five to six years, and they could last for several months or even a whole year. Moreover, they were accompanied by lightning caused by the collision of the gravel.
If they wanted to accurately predict climate change on Mars, they would have to at least throw a few weather satellites into Mars's low-Earth orbit.
Lu Zhou: "If there is a global sandstorm, what impact will it have on the colonists on Mars?"
Hou Guang: "Generally speaking, sandstorms mainly affect the normal operation of solar power equipment, but the New Virginia colony should be equipped with backup power equipment, so it shouldn't be a big problem … Of course, no one knows for sure, only NASA knows what's going on up there."
The life support system was basically a combination of the most advanced technologies from Space-X, Blue Origin, and other aerospace companies. Even though the Ares program was launched in a hurry, if Elon Musk had been preparing to colonize Mars for a decade, there was no way his technicians wouldn't have considered the possibility of a sandstorm.
It was even possible that they had rehearsed for similar situations on Earth.
Of course, this was just Lu Zhou's own speculation.
Just as Hou Guang said, only the people on Mars knew the specifics.
Lu Zhou nodded in agreement. He pondered for a while before continuing.
"Let the Qianzhou Radio Astronomy Observatory continue to pay attention to Mars … The rest is up to NASA."
The focus of his work was still on the Moon. He was only paying attention to the situation on Mars. If he could use this sandstorm to see how far the Americans had gone in Mars colonization technology, it would be a good thing for him.
After reporting this matter, Hou Guang left the office and closed the door.
Lu Zhou looked at the closed door and thought about the meeting with the director of ESA in the afternoon. He was about to stand up and prepare.
But at this moment, he suddenly thought of something and stopped in his tracks. After thinking for a few seconds, he said to the computer.
"Xiao Ai, adjust the decryption sequence of the files. Decrypt the newly numbered communication files first!"
The signal light flashed as a response to him.
Lu Zhou nodded and walked out of the office.
…
The controllable fusion negotiations had entered the final stage. The relationship between China and other countries was in a honeymoon stage. Whether it was in the economic or scientific fields, they had reached a very close level.
China's participation in the International Space Station program and the agreement between the European Union and China on the Moon Palace space station were the best proof of this.
Lu Zhou met with Mr. Owens, the director of the European Space Agency, in the command tower of the Jinling launch site.
After the meeting in Beijing, Owens arranged for Jinling to be part of the European Union delegation's visit to China. One of the main reasons was to meet Lu Zhou, the chief designer of the Lunar Orbit Committee, the legendary scientist who led the China aerospace industry to catch up with NASA …
"Hello, Professor Lu, it's nice to meet you!"
The tall and thin Owens shook Lu Zhou's hand enthusiastically and shook it vigorously. Lu Zhou responded to Mr. Owens with a polite and enthusiastic smile.
"It's also nice to meet you, Mr. Owens! Please take a seat. "
Behind Owens were officials from the European Space Agency's secretary's office, as well as reporters from major European and China media organizations.
This meeting was open to the public. The two sides would exchange opinions on specific cooperation plans, and it would also send a signal to the international community.
Which was to say that China and the European Union had made good progress in the Moon negotiations.
During the meeting, Director Owens, who was sitting on the sofa across from Lu Zhou, explained his point of view in a humorous manner.
"If we were to divide the history of human space exploration, I think it can be divided into three stages."
Lu Zhou smiled and asked, "Which three?"
Owens smiled and said, "In the Space 1.0 stage, humans mainly studied astronomy and astrology. Religious and cultural factors accounted for a large proportion. In the Space 2.0 stage, we entered space, set foot on the Moon, and also entered the 'Apollo' era. In the Space 3.0 stage, space became another dimension of human development. Commercial launch missions became more and more frequent, and our civilization entered the 'International Space Station' era.
Lu Zhou smiled and said, "Sounds interesting, what do you think the Space 4.0 era will be like?"
Owens thought for a moment and smiled.
"I think the Space 4.0 era will be the Moon era and the Moon Palace era."
"Oh?" Lu Zhou smiled and jokingly asked, "Why not the Ares era?"
Director Owens smiled and shook his head.
"Mars is too far away. It takes months to go there and back. Currently, Europe doesn't have the ability to participate. Maybe the next era will be the Ares era, but right now, we are more optimistic about the Moon. "
When Lu Zhou heard this, he couldn't help but feel emotional.
His words were flawless.
It wasn't that Lu Zhou wasn't optimistic about the Ares program, it was that he wasn't strong enough to participate.
Speaking of which, is this guy really a German?
Lu Zhou felt like Lu Zhou was different from his German friends …
Without stopping, Owens smiled at the camera in the reporter's hand and continued to speak.
"In this new era, our civilization will establish a new space order. We will pay more attention to social exchanges and internationalization in the space field. In the future, more countries will participate in space projects. There will be more people of different skin colors on spacecraft in outer space. We are connected by a common destiny.
"If you are willing, we hope to develop lunar resources with you and build a 'Moon Village'."
Lu Zhou smiled and reached out his right hand.
"Of course, our position is the same. We are happy to reach a consensus with you."
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