- Scientists discover a cave on the Moon. It could be key to future space missions
- China sticks to it. Its last failed space launch crashed into the mountains and that sets a rather worrying precedent
- The shape of our solar system has changed dramatically and this is something as surprising as it is important for astronomy
That China and the United States are engaged in an open struggle for control of the space closest to our planet is evident. They compete for the best rockets, establish similar plans and even want to install bases on the moon in similar chronologies, thus forming a competition between the two models that has been devising a kind of new Cold War in which hostilities do not end up exploding.
In recent months, the United States and China have doubled down on their efforts to maintain a significant research presence on the Moon. Now, the Chang’e 6 probe has recently returned to Earth and has brought a great surprise samples of the dark side of the Moon, something that had never been achieved until now. This has made the international scientific community truly surprised and celebrate this milestone as something global and not exclusively China’s. In fact, the Asian country has invited any researcher who wants to analyze the evidence and cooperate scientifically.
The problem is that the world’s other great superpower, the United States, cannot. And it is not because China does not allow it, but because they themselves are prohibited by their legislation, as the American media Futurism points out.
The United States cannot ally with China… or to achieve greater progress
The Wolf Amendment of 2011 prevents NASA from cooperating directly with China, so the U.S. government agency cannot access information from China even if the Asian country allows it without problems. For 13 years, Chinese researchers have repeatedly asked the United States to repeal this amendment in order to maintain mutual support for cooperation that could benefit both sides, but for the moment it seems that this is impossible, especially considering that relations between the two countries are increasingly tense.
With two kilograms of samples from the dark side of the Moon, the milestone that China has achieved with its probe is something that until now seemed impossible and will allow us to know much more about the resources that the Moon has in future expeditions made by astronauts from different parts of the world. However, while China openly allows and has even invited researchers from around the world to observe these samples, Americans will not.
The Wolf Amendment was created with the aim of pressuring China for its political divergence from the American global vision. Despite this, the Asian country has managed to become one of the great powers in space without problems, seriously considering the possibility of the country sending a stable base on the Moon that will allow it to beat the United States in the current space race.
The United States has not set foot on the Moon for 50 years. However, its Artemis mission aims to make it possible for men and women to reach this satellite and even establish a future base on it. But it is not the only place where the US and China are engaged in a fierce conflict, as tensions around Taiwan have led to both countries trying to carry out a very important rearmament, such as invisible drones that form swarms among other technologies.
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