China outlines plans for moonshot it hopes to land by 2030
We have go for launch, and the ethernet and Wi-Fi standards that will make it happen
It's exciting to see the hardware and communication standards being hammered out for China's lunar mission, much like building the circuitry for a new gadget. The open nature of these technical details gives me hope for collaboration and innovation in space exploration.
Panel script
A high-tech control room with multiple screens displaying lunar terrain, engineers in white lab coats, and a central table cluttered with wires, circuit boards, and a prominently featured Wi-Fi router and Ethernet cables.
Navigating the moon, one network cable at a time.
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Script
Panel 1
(a) The subject of this story is China's ambitious space program, specifically their plans to land a spacecraft on the moon by 2030. This includes developing necessary technological standards like Ethernet and Wi-Fi to support their missions. (b) The irony is that China, known for its rapid technological advancements and ambitious space goals, is now focusing on developing fundamental networking standards that are ubiquitous in everyday technology. It highlights the often-overlooked foundational work behind grand ambitions. (c) The highlight is the absurdity of China's moonshot plans depending on the same Ethernet cables and Wi-Fi routers that you might find in any home office.
Panel 2
A modest Chinese office, desk cluttered with wires and gadgets. A tired-looking engineer, JING, is bent over a laptop, debugging a router. Jing (to herself)
Jing: Just one more test... why won’t this thing connect?
Panel 3
The same office, a few moments later. JING is now in front of a whiteboard covered with sketches of spacecraft and lunar colonies. She holds a USB cable and a Wi-Fi router in her hands. Jing (muttering)
Jing: We need this to work. If the moonshot fails because of a router, I'll never hear the end of it.
Panel 4
A moonbase mockup room, filled with scaled-down models and prototypes. JING, wearing a lab coat and goggles, is standing in front of a model moon rover. She holds up a standard Ethernet cable next to the rover, looking at it in disbelief. Jing (to the rover)
Jing: So, we’re counting on this thing to save us from the moon dust... and the internet just isn’t that fancy yet.
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