This is how the director of the Chinese Space Agency surprised the panel of heads of space agency directors, at the Astronautics Congress in Hyderabad
Tal Inbar, Hyderabad
The first event held as part of the 58th International Astronautical Congress in Hyderabad was held yesterday, when the heads of the American, Chinese, Russian, Indian, Japanese, French, Canadian, and European space agencies sat on one panel. This year the format of the event was changed - each agency head was introduced by the head of the panel and asked questions. Another round of questions followed and then the audience had the opportunity to present their questions.
One of the questions asked by NASA Director Michael Griffin is what is NASA's vision for the next 20 years, and her answer was: the vision is to go beyond the International Space Station. "We are learning how to return to the moon and stay on its surface for long periods of time. In 2057, 50 years from now I'm sure we'll be celebrating 20 years since the first manned landing on Mars.
Anatoly Ferminov, head of Russia's Federal Space Agency, said that by 2015, Russia will complete its share of the International Space Station. Between 2016 and 2025, Russia will focus on developing new launch vehicles.
In 2026, the Russians will launch a manned flight to the moon and in the following decade to Mars, as well as develop a defense system for the Earth against asteroids and open factories in space.
Sun Laiyan, of the Chinese Space Agency, said that China is interested in exploring the moon, first by means of probes, then by means of landers and all-terrain vehicles, and eventually, the return of soil samples. At this point, China has no plans for a manned mission to the moon.
Japan Space Agency chief Tatsuyakawa said Japan has plans for lunar missions, but did not elaborate on the timetable. He also said that the moon is not just a place to visit but a reservoir of resources that can be used.
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Tired of all these promises. It's all about money. If they did it in 1969, it can be done easily today.
Talk like sand... or rather: talk like interstellar dust. Let's very much hope that we get to see more accelerated development towards the Moon and Mars and maybe other planets or moons. It is not clear why plans need to be made for another twenty years... or as the almost retired Ariel Sharon said about the separation fence: "Start working, start working"