He did more than state his position.
After making his stance clear, Lu Zhou went on to explain his views in detail from both an economic and a scientific perspective.
Given that the Auspicious could now carry twenty-five tons into an Earth-Moon transfer orbit, building a space station in lunar orbit was far more meaningful than copying the International Space Station and building another similar station in Low Earth Orbit.
"...The Moon has abundant reserves of rare earth elements, titanium ore, and helium-3. Since we already have the means to exploit lunar resources, building a space station at the Moon is undoubtedly the better choice."
After hearing this, the expert who had spoken earlier could not help standing up, his voice tinged with agitation.
"But everything has to be done in the proper order. I never said building a space station at the Moon was a bad idea, but why can't we take things slowly and build a similar one in Low Earth Orbit first? If we start construction in lunar orbit right now, can you guarantee the project will succeed?"
Faced with this aggressive questioning, Lu Zhou answered calmly.
"I can't guarantee that, but I can answer your earlier question. We can't afford to wait."
The expert knitted his brows. "What do you mean?"
Lu Zhou smiled faintly and continued.
"I'm sure you're aware that NASA's proposed budget for 2018 already included the Lunar Orbital Space Station Program. Although their attention is currently being diverted to the Ares Program, the Lunar Orbital Space Station Program predates it. We have reason to suspect that the relevant plans have already passed review by the Congressional Budget Committee. Unless something unexpected happens, construction will begin in 2022. Once the Americans begin building their space station, the engineering challenges we face in lunar