BEIJING, Oct. 25 -- In the eyes of the Chinese, the
moon has many faces. Chinese men of letters have traditionally eulogized this
white bright disc as the symbol of feminine beauty, the longing for one's
homeland and pure love.
With the country's first lunar orbiter, Chang'e I,
lifting off into space yesterday, the Chinese have never been so close to
unveiling the true face of this closest neighbor of our planet.
Those who witnessed the launch either on the spot or
on TV screens found their excitement and pride similar to that of 2003 when the
country succeeded in sending its first astronaut into space.
Yesterday's launch constituted the first step in the
country's moon probe mission, and marked significant progress in our space
industry which has been developing in a fast and sound way.
We owe our gratitude to Chinese space scientists and
engineers whose hard work in the past three years made yesterday's spectacle a
reality. The fact that this ambitious mission, with the final goal of landing
spacemen on the moon in 15 years, entirely relies on Chinese technology speaks
volumes for the country's growing national strength and advancement in science
and technology.
When the satellite, named after the Chinese legendary
goddess who flew to the moon, starts to send back the first pictures next month,
we will be able to know more about this celestial body and the environment we
are living in. This will also contribute to mankind's continued knowledge of the
universe.
The country has long before made clear that its space
programs are for peaceful purposes. Hence, it is willing to join international
cooperation in peaceful space exploration.
We believe international cooperation will be a trend
in space exploration in the future as a result of the endless pursuit of mankind
and the motivation of global scientific development.
In fact, a lot of countries have expressed
willingness to cooperate with China in this regard, and some have cooperated
with China in some areas on a small scale.
It is expected that China's implementation of the
moon probe mission will usher in more opportunities of cooperation with other
countries so that mankind's space exploration could be made even stronger.
(Source: China Daily)
