Chapter 357: The 21st Century’s Sputnik Moment
The Cold War was not particularly friendly to ordinary people.
After the Cold War, it was indeed a golden age for the people of the free world, but during the Cold War itself, the feeling was quite ordinary.
The people of the Eastern Bloc kept watching reports full of all sorts of winning to the point of numbness propaganda, and finally heard the news of the Soviet Union disintegrating from the radio in stunned silence.
The people of the Western camp would from time to time feel the threat from nuclear weapons, a threat as clear and real as a blade stopped at their own throat.
But for politicians, especially America’s politicians, it was such a golden era.
The hills of Korea, the beaches of Cuba, the jungles of North Vietnam, the graveyards of Afghanistan—everywhere could become a politician’s chessboard, placing pieces without regret, lose and start over, just open up another chessboard, right?
Using the masses as pawns, national strength as chips, it was simply too wonderful.
Old timers has always lived in that era and never woken up; fifty years ago he was the youngest congressman, so young that after being elected he still had to wait until he turned 30 to take office; fifty years later, he is the oldest president, so old that even today in 2023, his mind is still full of Cold War thinking.
The protracted war that began in early last year was seen by him as the peak of his own operation, effortlessly pushing Russia and Europe into the abyss at the same time.
The former has no security left in geopolitics, the latter has no future left in the economy.
Give him another five years, and he is confident he can single-handedly operate the deconstruction and reconstruction of Russia and Europe, thoroughly accomplishing what wasn’t done even at the end of the Cold War—dismembering the core territory of Tsarist Russia.
In front of him is the latest map of Russia and Ukraine, with different flags representing the frontline situations of both sides.
Red represents Russia, blue represents Ukraine, shades of red and blue indicate fierce competition, with both sides engaged in intense ground battles around the southwest of Donetsk, and drone precision strikes around the southern Odesa port.
Every morning, noon, and evening, the White House Chief of Staff comes to update old timers with war reports from the Ukrainian frontlines; whether Russia has the upper hand or Ukraine has the upper hand, as long as the war continues, old timers’s mood improves a bit.
Today, as usual, White House Senior Official Sharvin sitting in front of him is chattering away: “In short, this is very, very, very bad for us.”
It took three “very”s in a row to pull old timers’s attention away from the map. “Sorry, Jack, could you say that again? You know, I’m old, my energy isn’t what it used to be, a lot of things I need to hear twice, maybe three times.”
Sharvin remains outwardly composed; declining energy is one thing, but you zoning out just now is the key, right.
But the other is not only an old man but his direct superior; Sharvin knows best how to coax the old guy. He also blames himself for getting carried away by the news of China’s Moon superconducting AI computing center and forgetting something as important as how to communicate with the old man.
Sharvin pats his own head: “Of course, Mr. President, the space race from the Cold War era is about to begin again.”
Cold War?
This word quickly awakened the old man’s dormant memories.
Space Race?
The blood flowing from President Kennedy’s head, Lyndon Johnson holding high the passed Civil Rights Act, Nixon receiving Buzz Aldrin back on Earth on the recovery ship, President Reagan’s Star Wars speech.
Scenes flashed quickly through old timers’s mind. “What’s going on?” He instantly became as sharp as he was fifty years ago.
Why didn’t you mention Cold War earlier? If you’d said Cold War from the first sentence, I would’ve been fully focused.
Sharvin feels a wave of helplessness inside—I knew you didn’t hear a thing—but outwardly pretends nothing happened, smiling as he says: “Mr. President, China has announced plans to build a Moon superconducting AI computing center.”
Old timers feels this has already touched his knowledge blind spot: he knows about the Moon, he knows about artificial intelligence, he probably understands what a computing center is, but combining them all together really challenges his cognitive limits.
Sharvin explains for a good while before the other understands what this is.
“What impact does this have on us?” old timers asks doubtfully.
Sharvin knows he needs to be more direct: “According to expert estimates, the Chinese side is very likely to succeed.
Once they succeed, they will own the entire Moon.
They already have basic Earth-Moon round-trip capability; once they build the so-called AI center on the Moon, that means they can also solve water, electricity, communication networks—that is, they can exist on the Moon long-term.
At the same time, this also means China will become the first in the world to have systematic development experience on another planet.
They could even really, as Randolph Lin said, use the Moon as a springboard to Mars.
If the space age is coming soon, China’s plan means they already have the advantage; we need to be sufficiently vigilant.
The products from our space race research with the Soviet Union during the Cold War gave rise to the later internet era; China’s space infrastructure and Moon transformation plan this time will certainly, in the long term, spawn a large number of new technologies—these new technologies could very well include something like the internet that changes the world.
So we must treat this with the highest importance.”
Constantly linking it to the Cold War is the only way to make old timers understand quickly.
“So what should we do? We should also launch a new 21st-century Star Wars Program! We need to build a nuclear base on the Moon, put nuclear silos on the Moon—it will form America’s new deterrence force.” Old timers’s tone becomes intense, his expression somewhat ferocious, veins appearing near his temples.
He thinks he’s the last Cold War relic, unaware that there’s another person in the world who hasn’t emerged from the Cold War with exactly the same idea, also wanting to build Moon nuclear silos.
“Mr. President, calm down, calm down—I don’t think we’ve reached the most dangerous point yet; China’s plan was just announced, we still have plenty of time to catch up.
I suggest holding a hearing first, inviting experts from NASA, research institutions, and universities to gather together and discuss countermeasures.
As for whether to build nuclear silos on the Moon, that can be discussed further.” Sharvin soothes.
Old timers says without thinking: “Good, tell me the results immediately—we must land on the Moon first, not after China.”
Sharvin nods: “Of course, Mr. President, America’s astronauts will set foot on the Moon’s land by the end of this year.”
“Chinese Companies Apollo Technology has publicly announced plans to build the world’s first superconducting AI computing center at the Lunar South Pole, utilizing the extreme low-temperature environment of Shackleton Crater to provide AI computing power in an unprecedented way. This development occurs amid an increasingly intense space race, triggering high vigilance in America, with White House officials revealing to reporters that they believe this marks the contest for dominance in a new era of space.”
In a high-end villa in Washington D.C., the television is playing a CNN report on the matter; gray-haired Jonathan eats bread with jam, while his wife Anna, sitting opposite and a bit younger than him, can still eat high-calorie foods like grilled bacon.
“Have Chinese people’s technology gotten this advanced? They can actually build an AI computing center on the Moon?” Anna asks.
Jonathan keeps eating his bread without looking up, swallowing a bite before answering: “China’s technology has progressed very quickly in recent years.”
“But isn’t it said their technology comes from our Apollo Moon Landing fifty years ago?” Anna follows up; she knows that on this topic, her husband Jonathan is an expert among experts.
Jonathan, a senior Moon research expert at Aerospace Corporation, has studied the lunar surface for over thirty years.
Coincidentally, after the Apollo program ended, he joined Aerospace Corporation and has been researching ever since, though the research content has never truly been put to use.
This also means his thirty years have been quite comfortable: at most one day a week at the company, sometimes not even that, and yet he can afford a house in Washington D.C.’s high-end residential area.
A note here: Aerospace Corporation is an aerospace consulting institution, formerly the Air Force Western Development Division, later turned into a non-profit, established in 1960.
Non-profit means the institution doesn’t profit, but it doesn’t say the people inside don’t profit.
A ton of NASA officials, after retiring, run to Aerospace Corporation for some official position or another to collect hefty salaries.
There was a scandal from 2001 to 2008, charging the Air Force for employee Hunter’s service fees.
This one is also called Hunter; Hunter was hired as a software quality assurance engineer but only held a high school diploma. He claimed to have a PhD from Oxford University and hardly ever showed up during his tenure.
Hunter worked for another defense contractor at the same time, filling out double full-time time cards and collecting massive overtime pay.
In reality, Hunter wasn’t at the company but enjoying himself at bars, amusement parks, and theaters.
Compared to Hunter, Jonathan’s credentials are real; he’s published quite a few articles on lunar terrain and doesn’t skip out entirely—he goes once a week, which is much more conscientious.
At least that’s what Jonathan thinks.
“Their technology originally came from Saturn V, but soon their technology iterated; now they can routinely go to the Moon. If you follow it, you can see them sending people or cargo to the Moon almost every month.
Just like the unprecedented production capacity China has unleashed in other manufacturing sectors.” Jonathan swallows the last of his bread, takes a tissue to wipe his mouth, points at the TV: “It’s because of the Chinese guys’ plan that I have to go to the White House for a meeting today.”
The Oval Meeting Room in the West Wing of the White House is shrouded in a heavy atmosphere; Jonathan pushes open the thick oak door and walks in, then the door closes, blocking out the outside clamor.
He glances roughly at the attendees, then laments inwardly: at a time like this, why are they still engaging in party strife?
At such a time, there are nameplates for people like Bezos, Young John Morgan, David Calhoun (Boeing CEO), but no Musk.
An old hand like Jonathan of course knows why: because Musk’s support for Big T has deeply offended the White House, so even at a time like this, he can’t sit at the table.
Summer afternoon, Washington’s sunlight streams through the bulletproof glass windows, but it can’t dispel Jonathan’s sense of powerlessness, a feeling similar to when he had just joined Aerospace Corporation to research lunar terrain and the White House announced the indefinite halt of the Apollo program right after.
Sharvin sits at the head of the table, holding the latest report on the matter.
Everyone has a copy in front of them.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming on short notice.” As Sharvin speaks, his gaze sweeps over the dozen or so people in the room.
Sitting to his left is NASA Director Bill Nelson, brows furrowed, holding a tablet computer displaying Apollo Technology’s Moon plan concept diagram.
The academia representatives are mainly MIT space policy professor Allen Harris and Harvard University economics professor Mary Evans, the latter specializing in macroeconomics and geopolitical economics.
Other attendees include Department of Defense aerospace consultants, intelligence analysts, and some engineer representatives.
“Today, what we face is not science fiction, but reality.” Sharvin continues: “China announcing this project means they already have one-time manned Moon landing capability, with multiple landings at the South Pole.
This means they can routinely go back and forth, transporting personnel and equipment.
Their superconducting AI center will utilize the crater’s natural low-temperature environment to run chips based on Nb3Sn or iron-based superconductors.
These chips can achieve zero resistance computing, with processing speeds several times that of room-temperature silicon-based chips, used for AI training and quantum simulation.”
Director Nelson says: “Jack, you’re right.
China has already established a temporary base at Shackleton Crater; they extract water resources from water ice, electricity solved via solar arrays or small nuclear reactors.
For communication, China’s Queqiao relay satellite already covers the far side of the Moon and has even tested laser links directly to Earth.
If this AI center is built, it will be a self-sufficient computing matrix capable of processing massive data, supporting their Mars exploration plans.
From a technical perspective, our Artemis program has made progress, but Starship test delays have left us behind.
I think we can’t rely on just one company.
Blue Origin’s lander is already in testing; we can provide precision landing technology to ensure safe deployment in the complex terrain of South Pole craters.
Mr. Morgan’s General Dynamics will also complete Moon landing this year; I think we need more forces to join in.”
Allen adds: “From a policy perspective, this is a new Cold War.
China will become the first country with systematic development experience on another planet.
This is not just technology; it involves international law: whoever develops first sets the rules.
We must push Congress to pass a new space act, increase NASA’s budget, and cooperate with the European Union and Japan to form an alliance.”
Economics professor Mary Evans speaks, the projector switching to her charts: a curve showing the pulling effect of U.S. space spending on GDP during the Cold War.
“From a macroeconomic and geopolitical perspective, this is redemptive for China.
They currently face severe economic difficulties: their CPI has slid into a deflationary cycle at -0.3%, weak demand, real estate crisis leading to investment shortages, overall growth rate dropping from 14% in 2007 to projected under 6% in 2023.
Population aging and manufacturing overcapacity exacerbate structural problems, compressing corporate profits, raising bank bad debts, trapping the overall economy in a low-growth pit.
But this Moon superconducting AI center project is an unprecedentedly imaginative ‘big project’, similar to Roosevelt’s New Deal or the Cold War space race.
It can inject massive investments into rocket manufacturing, materials research and development, and infrastructure construction.
This will stimulate domestic demand, create millions of high-salary jobs from engineers to supply chain workers, pulling GDP growth.
Based on historical data, the Apollo program increased U.S. real GDP by an average of 2.2% in the 1960s-1970s, deriving technologies worth trillions of US dollars, including integrated circuits and satellite communications.
China’s project can spawn similar effects: superconductivity applied to artificial intelligence, quantum computing, semiconductors, etc., solving deflation, reshaping global supply chains through technology exports—isn’t General Aerospace here the best example?”
Evans continues, with a strong sense of crisis in her heart: this is not just economics, it’s a power transfer.
“Geopolitically, China occupies the space high ground through this project, can attract international investment, alleviate capital outflow.
Imagine: they use the Moon as the starting point of a new Silk Road, exporting AI services to Global South countries, pulling in allies.
If the space age arrives, China will dominate rule-making, threatening our absolute semiconductor advantage and dollar status.
This is similar to the past Sputnik Moment; we must respond, or lose innovation dominance.”
The dialogue in the meeting room continues, everyone chiming in one after another.
Jonathan’s status isn’t high enough; he only gets one chance to speak, just saying that if Shackleton Crater doesn’t work, the second-best spot is Degelach Crater, only about 54 kilometers away, with even flatter terrain compared to Shackleton Crater.
Sharvin listens; he knows that although these people have different ideas, the consensus is very clear: America must act.
“Mr. Morgan, as is well known, you have a good relationship with China’s Professor Lin; in your cooperation with them, does it include Lunar South Pole landing technology?” Sharvin asks last.
Young John Morgan answers: “Sorry, we haven’t started negotiations on that yet, but I’m confident I can obtain this technology from them.”
What Young John Morgan is thinking is, whether I can get it or not, you all have to believe me—or more bluntly: NASA, pay up!
“That’s good!”
Bezos inwardly regrets endlessly: if I hadn’t missed recruiting Professor Lin in 2020, would it be your General Aerospace surpassing Blue Origin and stealing the show in a setting like this?
Sharvin knocks on the table at the end: “Thank you everyone.
Our countermeasures are: one, accelerate Artemis II manned lunar orbit, achieve South Pole landing in 2024; two, cooperate with commercial partners, with General Aerospace and Blue Origin jointly developing a reusable manned Moon landing system; three, increase budget, establish a ‘Moon Development Fund’, research and develop domestic superconductor technology, and from an economic stimulus perspective push Congress to approve a trillion US dollars space investment plan; four, diplomatically, push for revisions to the United Nations Outer Space Treaty to restrict unilateral development, while sharing technology with allies to form a counter-alliance.”
The ideas are wonderful, but can they really be done? Jonathan thinks: Boeing and Blue Origin jointly developing a reusable manned Moon landing system? They can’t do it separately; can they do it together?
Similarly named presidents facing Sputnik Moments from powerful competitors: Lyndon led America to win the space race—the space race was won in Nixon’s time, but the foundation was laid in Lyndon Johnson’s era.
Can this Moon landing have such good luck?
