Mars exploration programs in various countries are vigorously
underway. As one of the powers in space technology, what should
China do? When will it start to realize its dream on Mars?
According to a Beijing Youth Daily report, comparative
research between Earth and Mars on the subject of space
environments has been listed as an important research direction for
concerned sci-tech departments in China. China is ready to strongly
support domestic scientists to carry out research on the
atmosphere, ionosphere, and magnetosphere of Mars, laying a solid
foundation for China's future Mars space probe.
"The atmosphere of Mars may be closely connected with the
mysterious soil erosion on the planet", said Liu Zhenxing, an
academician of the Space Science Application Research Center under
the Chinese
Academy of Sciences. It would be a good start for China to
swiftly carry out research on the atmosphere of Mars based on
existing observation data made by other countries.
Actually, a Mars probe was in China's scientific vision in the
mid-1990s, according to Liu. One of the subjects of the National
863 Sci-tech Plan -- the Research Report on the Necessity and
Feasibility of China's Mars Probe -- had already conducted feasible
research on a Mars probe. Later, China stopped the research for
some reason.
Many experts have predicted that developed countries will launch a
new round of "enclosure movements" on Mars in the next few
centuries. If China misses the opportunity, it will lose the
qualification of sharing relative achievements on a Mars space
probe in the future.
Liu suggested that China should accelerate pre-research on a Mars
probe, especially on some key technology areas. Meanwhile, the
experience and expertise accumulated in the course of implementing
the lunar probe program would help China's exploration of Mars.
China will then stand on the frontier of Mars research through
active international cooperation.
(China.org.cn by Wang Qian July 10, 2003)