Logically speaking, technology should have developed and improved for more than 50 years, but looking at the period from 1972 to 2020 in the United States, it feels that the development process is reversed. Why do you say so?

Speaking of the United States’ plan to return to the moon, it has to be said that Apollo landed on the moon more than 50 years ago in the United States. Logically speaking, technology should have developed and improved for more than 50 years, but looking at the period from 1972 to 2020 in the United States, it feels that the development process is reversed. Why do you say so? There were no spacecraft (manned) in the United States from 2020 to 2011, and there were low-Earth orbit manned tools ( space shuttle ) from 2011 to 1980. From 1972 to 1969, Americans could land on the moon. Is the US aerospace technology the more advanced it goes? Of course not. You should know that Apollo's moon landing has a large international background (, the United States and the Soviet Union, ). In order to defeat the Soviet Union in the space race , NASA's budget is much higher than it is now. Now there is no background for competition for hegemony. As the only superpower in the world, the United States seems to have no opponent. Of course, there is no motivation.

Saturn V and N1 Rockets

. The Artemis plan that is now started is just a shrinking version of the constellation plan. In 2004, the then-US president, Bush Jr. proposed a constellation plan, but the constellation plan is slow, expensive, and much exceeds the budget. It was called to stop by the later Obama administration, and only retained the Orion spacecraft and SLS space launch system (delivery vehicle) currently planned by Artemis. Although this SLS space launch system rocket is the latest lunar landing rocket developed by NASA, many technologies are transported from retired space shuttles, such as its two solid-state fuel booster shells and bottom engines are all obtained from retired space shuttles, which is ready-made technology, with slight improvements. Otherwise, why is the SLS rocket so much like a space shuttle?

SLS and space shuttle

So why doesn't the United States use the Saturn V rocket that was once successfully launched 100%? Could it be that technology has declined? The answer is not. To be precise, the United States cannot create the Saturn V rocket. The main reasons for

are two points:

1. (The development cost of Saturn V is too high. 50 years ago, a Saturn V was nearly 200 million US dollars, which is now 1.2 billion US dollars). Moreover, one will be lost once it is launched, and it cannot be recycled. The rocket launch cost is high. As mentioned at the beginning of the article, NASA's funding expenses are no longer as generous as those in the US-Soviet battle.

2, rocket engine , is transferred from kerosene engine to hydroxide engine . There is no need for NASA to develop the type of elimination technology 50 years ago. The currently developed space launch system can also fully meet the needs of moon landing.

SLS space launch system and Saturn V

Currently, the SLS space launch system has been successfully launched after being delayed many times. This mission is the first step of Artemis's plan (Artemis 1). The mission is to launch the Orion spacecraft into orbit around the moon with an SLS rocket, and return to Earth after three weeks to test the reliability of the SLS rocket and whether the Orion spacecraft works normally in the orbit of the moon.

Artemis 1 plan

Orion spacecraft was launched on November 16 to carry out Artemis 1 "unmanned flight mission around the moon". It is expected to enter the moon orbit on November 25 and return to Earth around December 10.

lunar images taken by the Orion spacecraft when it flew to the moon orbit

is divided into two stages according to the Artemis plan: the first stage 2019-2024 (Artemis 1 unmanned spacecraft test, Artemis 2 manned orbiting the moon, and Artemis 3 manned landing at the South Pole of the Moon.)

Phase 2: Carry out long-term residence of the moon and establish a lunar base.

Currently, the SLS space launch system that is operating Artemis 1 is a manned version of block1, with a height of 98 meters, a core-level diameter of 8.4 meters, a take-off mass of 2498 tons, a low-Earth orbit capacity LEO: 95 tons, and a earth-moon orbit transfer orbit capacity TLI: 27 tons, and the capacity meets the launch quality of the Orion spacecraft. The later Artemis 23 mission requires a space launch system with greater capacity (cargo version), with low-Earth orbit capacity LEO140 tons, and the earth-moon transfer orbit capacity TLI: 45 tons. It has surpassed the Saturn V launch vehicle back then.

SLS early type (Artemis 1), 2 and 3

The United States' return to the moon plan is different from the Apollo moon landing plan

That year's "Apollo moon landing" plan was for the space race and defeating the opponent. Mainly, it is to land on the moon, take photos, and create multiple firsts. Then the "Artemis" plan is not just for climbing. The purpose of going is to build lunar base , and to pave the way for future deep space exploration and manned landing on Mars. So judging from the United States' plan to return to the moon, our landing on the moon is not just about stepping onto the surface of the moon, but also about building a lunar scientific research base.

Apollo moon landing

The United States shouts out its plan to return to the moon, and its purpose is to establish the image of the United States as a space superpower in the world, hoping to continue to maintain its leading position and not want to be surpassed by pursuers. Of course, this is just the universal significance of landing on the moon. Another reason why the United States is eager to land on the moon is to seize the resources of the moon. Especially seeing the advancement of China's aerospace technology in recent years, the implementation of China's lunar exploration plan and the beginning of Mars exploration have also made the United States feel that it is almost caught up. Although it is not as fierce as in 's Cold War , maintaining a leading advantage is what they want to defend.

Future lunar base

Our country is also actively preparing the moon landing plan . The technology that needs to be overcome most is the large-thrust launch vehicle engine technology (Long March 9). In terms of capacity data, it has 150 tons of low-Earth orbit and 50 tons of earth-moon transfer orbit, which can be fully benchmarked against the SLS series launch vehicle planned by the Artemis in the United States. In the development progress of the new generation of super heavy launch vehicle , we strive to achieve the first manned moon landing of the Chinese by 2030. Let’s wait and see!

China moon landing plan