At the end of July, when news about the breakthrough in carbon-based chip technology was still flooding the Internet, another amazing piece of news was springing up from all over the world like mushrooms after a rain.
China's spacecraft that is carrying out a manned mission has reached the low-Earth orbit of Mars!
The first manned mission in human history is about to begin!
Like the sudden thunder in the spring, manned ascent to the fire, this news that once occupied the entire Internet hot search and occupied everyone's attention more than a month ago, once again woke up from everyone's minds.
This sudden news can be said to have shocked many people.
One second they were discussing the changes and impacts that breakthroughs in carbon-based chip technology might bring to the entire world.
The next second, the astonishing news that humans were about to stand on the ground on Mars shocked everyone like a bolt from the blue.
For those aerospace enthusiasts who are always paying attention to the progress of manned missions, especially Chinese netizens, this is undoubtedly the biggest carnival and event since mankind developed aerospace technology.
In two days, human footprints will be completely imprinted on another planet.
This is undoubtedly the biggest monument in the history of aerospace. It is also the most worthy of applause and celebration.
However, for those in Western countries, especially the Americans, the news that they are about to realize manned missions to space is far from wonderful.
Although it has lagged behind China in the space competition in the past two years, it even suffered a big setback in its plan to return to the moon.
However, as a superpower that has dominated the space industry in the past few decades, many Americans still believe that sooner or later they can catch up or even overtake it in the space industry and regain the number one position in the space industry.
However, when the news of manned missions came into view again, for those who believed that they would catch up with China and even regain the number one position in aerospace, it was as if the sky had fallen.
On Twitter, Google, Facebook and other websites, with the deliberate promotion of the Xinghai Research Institute and the Chinese Space Administration, the news of manned missions to Mars replaced the breakthrough of carbon-based chip technology almost overnight, occupying the top spot.
Ranked number one in hot searches.
"God, the Chinese are going to be on fire soon!"
"Damn it, what on earth is our NASA doing? A historic first like manned mission to Mars can be preempted by others!"
"One step behind, every step behind, I think we should launch probes to more distant planets, such as Enceladus, Jupiter and other planets, and after confirming safety, launch a manned program to regain the glory that should belong to us!
"
"Are you crazy? Manned landings on Enceladus and Jupiter? You know there are places that no probe has ever reached. Do you want our astronauts to die?"
"Xie Te, those Chinese have already built a base on the moon. Do we have to watch them build another one on Mars now?"
"Impossible! Even if they have the ability to board the Mars, there is no chance of building a Mars base on it. You must know that it is Mars. Mars is hundreds of millions of kilometers away. The transportation of materials alone is enough to bring down the Mars.
The whole country of China, if they really want to do this, it will be our luckiest opportunity!"
"But they have the most advanced space shuttle and less than two months of manned landing time. If they really want to choose to build a base on Mars, it is not impossible in theory. Especially they also have to build a base on the moon.
A base experience.”
"You are thinking too much. There is a window period for landing on Mars! Although it only takes less than two months for Chinese people to land on Mars, this opportunity only occurs once a year."
"Except for July every year, Mars is at least hundreds of millions of kilometers away from the earth at other times. Even if there is a space shuttle, it will take at least a few months. If they want to establish a Mars base, unless they are willing
It will take ten or twenty years!”
The news of the Hanhai's manned mission has aroused quite a bit of controversy on major external platforms.
Especially in the United States, many people are scolding NASA for spending tens of billions of taxpayer dollars every year without knowing what it is doing. At the same time, they are also worried that China will soon build on Mars like it does on the moon.
A base to carry out activities such as Mars development and Mars immigration.
After all, everyone in the world knows that the Chinese people's infrastructure capabilities can be described as crazy and perverted.
As long as they think about it, there seems to be no high-rise building that cannot be built, and no cross-sea bridge that cannot be repaired.
Even on the moon 400,000 kilometers away, the Chinese built an outpost scientific research base in just two years.
Judging from the brilliant achievements in the past, it is not impossible for them to build a scientific research base on Mars.
In particular, they have experience in building bases on the moon, which has harsher conditions than Mars.
Of course, there are also people who hold a negative attitude.
In the eyes of many Americans, even if China has mastered the technology of manned missions to Mars, it is still not easy to establish a permanent base on Mars.
After all, the distance between the Earth and Mars is simply not comparable to the distance between the Earth and the Moon.
For humanity's current aerospace technology, there is a serious window period limit for landing on Mars.
Only from July to October every year, when Mars is closest to the Earth, can landing operations be carried out. At other times, Mars is far enough away from the Earth to prevent all such operations.
There is more than one level of difficulty difference between manned landing on Mars and building a base on Mars.
Especially on Mars, there are overwhelming Martian storms every summer. In the opinion of many people, this is enough to destroy any life and buildings on Mars.
It is almost impossible for current human technology to build a permanent base on Mars, which has harsh conditions, and can withstand the harsh storms on Mars.
.......
While countless netizens are discussing the manned mission to Mars, on the other side.
On Pennsylvania Avenue, meetings were being held one after another in the Capitol and important offices of various states.
Thanks to the Chinese, there were almost one parade after another on Pennsylvania Avenue during this period, and the stock market they were proud of was also as red as a cliff.
The first is the breakthrough in carbon-based chip technology.
This is something worthy of national celebration for China and its allies.
However, for those countries that stand at the top of the silicon-based semiconductor industry chain, things are not so good. It is not even an exaggeration to describe them as terrible.
Just like in the United States now, from the White House to Silicon Valley, from chip manufacturers to media reporters, down to ordinary people, and up to the grandpas in Congress, everyone is busy working on this matter.
Those media reporters who are everywhere and elusive are squatting in any corner that the gentlemen can't imagine, and then they may pop out at any time and stuff microphones or recorders into their mouths, nagging endlessly asking the government what can be solved and saved.
The stock market and the U.S. approach.
But what troubles everyone is that in the face of breakthroughs in carbon-based chip technology, the market and technology they have been operating in the silicon-based semiconductor field for decades have little power to fight back.
The 28nm preparation process still uses the design of simulated silicon-based chips, and the performance of the manufactured chips is comparable to the high-end process of 14nm silicon-based chips.
It’s hard to imagine how powerful a carbon-based chip’s performance will be once it finds a circuit design and functional design that truly suits its own structure.
In the face of such breakthrough technology, if there is no corresponding development to match it, then the regulation of the national government is actually of little use.
Capital and the market will make the choice.
However, it is not just this incident that has the US government troubled.
While the breakthrough in carbon-based chip technology was still in front of everyone's eyes, another thing came from China that caused everyone a huge headache.
That is their manned landing project, which will soon send astronauts to the surface of Mars!
The most surprising news ever in the aerospace field shocked the world.
Especially for the United States, although China had been mentally prepared when China first launched the manned mission to the moon, when this day came, it was still difficult for people to accept it.
...
White room, in a certain conference room.
Mr. General T, who only took office again in January this year, once again convened his team of staff and officials from relevant departments.
However, what they want to discuss today is not China’s technological breakthrough in the field of carbon-based chips, but this competitor’s development in the aerospace field.
"The latest news is that the Chinese Space Administration disclosed their manned landing process an hour ago. The space shuttle has now reached the low-Earth launch orbit of Mars and will launch the landing module on time at 10 o'clock Beijing time tomorrow morning.
, carry out landing operations.”
"In addition, there is news from the CIA that China may be planning to build a scientific research base on the moon and Mars after the manned landing project is successfully completed, and launch the first scientific research base in the next five years.
Wave of Mars immigration activities..."
In the conference room, sitting at the head of the table and listening to NASA Director Bilson's report, the president, who had only been in office for only half a year, couldn't help but rub the bridge of his sore nose with his fingers, and his face was full of fatigue.
Ever since that research institution called Xinghai Research Institute made a breakthrough in aerospace technology, China's development in aerospace has been like wings.
Space shuttle, manned moon landing, construction of lunar outpost scientific research base, international lunar biosphere cooperation project...
A series of aerospace developments have left them far behind.
As the world's largest aerospace power, and the field that Americans were most proud of, now it has been completely defeated. We can only watch helplessly as our opponents break their monopoly in outer space step by step and establish a new order.
There is no way.
And what makes everyone even more pessimistic now is that China is about to achieve a manned mission to the moon, an epic that will set a historical record.
If they can still comfort themselves with the fact that they have landed on the moon many times in the past, they can forcefully bring the level of China and America to the same level in aerospace...
So facing the manned mission, they have almost no other excuses to make amends for themselves.
After all, that is an area they have never been to before.
If those Chinese people really succeed in sending astronauts to the surface of Mars, then they have truly lost.
For Americans who have always been proud of aerospace and have even developed a space culture, this is undoubtedly the most uncomfortable day in history.
But for both the authorities and NASA, they seem to have no other choice but to watch the other party step ahead of them step by step, getting further and further ahead.
Although space shuttle technology has been restarted, the test of the Endurance space shuttle is also quite satisfactory. It is expected that this year it will be able to carry out a manned moon landing mission and carry out related space exploration activities.
But even after restarting the space shuttle and possessing the Endurance, they still found it difficult to look behind them when facing their opponent on the other side of the Pacific.
The gap between the two countries in the aerospace field is now the same as it was at the beginning of the 20th century.
The difference is that leading and chasing are completely opposite.
Facing a new space shuttle based on a miniaturized controllable nuclear fusion reactor and an aerospace engine, their Endurance could not even see the opponent's taillights.
More importantly, almost all the technologies they have developed in the aerospace field for decades are based on traditional chemical fuel launch vehicle systems.
Whether it is NASA, SpaceX, Blue Origin, Boeing and other companies, whether in the last century or now, their method of entering space is still chemical fuel launch vehicles.
And the most disappointing thing is here.
Just like silicon-based chips versus carbon-based chips, the gap between traditional chemical fuel launch vehicles and the new technologies of small fusion reactors and space engines is as big as clouds and mud.
From controllable nuclear fusion, to aerospace, to chips... In these three most important fields in modern society, they have all lost to their opponents step by step.
Especially now, at the critical stage when the Chinese are about to land on Mars, everyone knows that they have completely lost in the space race of the 21st century.
Not only is it seriously lagging behind China in the development of the moon, but it is also about to lose the honor of being the first manned landing on Mars.
But what's even more powerless is that they still don't have any response measures or solutions to this.
I can only watch helplessly as the other party continues to record innovations in the aerospace field bit by bit.