BEIJING, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao asserted
in a passionate and inspiring speech on Monday that China has
joined the select group of world powers with the capabilities to
engage in deep-space exploration.
After unveiling the first picture of the moon surface taken by
Chang'e-1, China's first lunar probe, Wen said that the dream of
the Chinese people for more than 1,000 years of flying to the Moon
had begun to materialize.
Wen said that lunar probe was the third milestone in China's
space exploration following the successes of man-made satellites
and manned space flights.
The success, he said not only manifested China's rising national
strength and technical innovation capability but also elevated the
country's international status and cemented national cohesion.
"It showcases eloquently that the Chinese people have the will,
the ambition and the capability to compose more shining new
chapters while ascending the science and technology summit," he
said.
Citing a letter from an overseas Chinese, Wen said that the
farther the China-made satellite flew, the higher would the
overseas Chinese hold their heads.
Chang'e-1, named after a mythical Chinese goddess who according
to legend flew to the moon, blasted off on a Long March 3A carrier
rocket on Oct. 24 shortly after Japan launched its first lunar
probe, Kaguya, in mid-September.
The first high-definition image of the Earth rising was taken by
Kaguya on Oct. 14. With India and the Republic of Korea planning to
send their own lunar probes into space, concerns of a space race in
Asia have arisen.
Looking to the future of China's three-step moon exploration which
will lead to a moon landing and the launch of a moon rover around
2012 and the taking-back of lunar soil and stone samples for
scientific research around 2017, Wen said that the initial success
had "blazed a new trail and accumulated valuable experience" for
China to improve its overall capability in science and technology.
Firstly, China would continue to use major scientific and
technological projects as a "tractive force" to drive along
research and development as well as the application of new
technologies.
"The success shows it's completely possible for China to make
breakthroughs in priority projects and win decisive battles in the
competition of new high technologies," he said.
Wen encouraged technicians participating in the project, which
began in 2004 and cost 1.4 billion yuan (187 million U.S. dollars),
to continue to strive for exploration and pursue technical
innovations in a scientific and integrated manner.
Through this project, Chinese technicians have invented and
grasped great core technologies and scored 100 percent quality
assurance check on design and manufacturing. "The integration of
bold innovation and an earnest working style is the guarantee for
the success of major scientific and technological projects," he
said.
The Premier also said that China would continue to strengthen
multi-departmental collaboration and give respect to knowledge and
talents.
As the lunar probe researchers are no more than 40 years old on
average while a number of people in their early 30's or 40's
assumed the posts of chief designers and chief commanders, Wen said
that the Chinese people would be very proud and gratified to see
there was no lack of successors in the cause of aerospace.
In the future, he said, the Chinese people were expecting
first-class research fruits based upon the first-hand exploration
data collected by the lunar probe.
(Xinhua News Agency November 26, 2007)
