THE lunar explorationprogram will have a major effect on the lives of ordinary people, according to experts at the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

The progress of basic science and advanced technologies, boosted by the country's lunar project, will drive the country's economic development, the experts said.

Many of the leading information, biological and new materials technologies, among others, in the United States were based on its Apollo missions, the CASC experts said.

The moon's vacuum and weak gravity could produce ultra-high purity metals, monocrystal silicon and high-purity drugs.

Also, the moon's energy sources and minerals were important complements to the earth's resources.

One focus is helium-3, an isotope that can be used in nuclear fusion and is considered a future source of energy for mankind. It contains hardly any radioactive contamination.

Though scarce on the earth, helium-3 is abundant on the moon, which has an estimated 1 million to 5 million tons, which could last for more than 10,000 years.

Establishing solar power stations on the moon could also be a possible way to gain new energy.

Yan Jun, chief scientist of China's lunar explorationproject, said it had encouraged many young Chinese to study science and space, and students of astronomy were in demand in the job market.

• program [´prəugræm] n.说明v.为...安排节目 (初中英语单词)
• corporation [,kɔ:pə´reiʃən] n.社团；法人；公司 (初中英语单词)
• advanced [əd´vɑ:nst] a.先进的；高级的 (初中英语单词)
• project [prə´dʒekt, ´prɔdʒekt] v.设计；投掷 n.计划 (初中英语单词)
• apollo [ə´pɔləu] n.阿波罗 (初中英语单词)
• purity [´pjuəriti] n.纯净；贞洁 (初中英语单词)
• energy [´enədʒi] n.活力，精力；能力 (初中英语单词)
• scarce [skeəs, skers] a.缺乏的；稀有的 (初中英语单词)
• abundant [ə´bʌndənt] a.丰富的；充分的 (初中英语单词)
• exploration [,eksplɔ:´reiʃən] n.探索；探险；考察 (高中英语单词)
• gravity [´græviti] n.严肃；严重；重力 (高中英语单词)
• scientist [´saiəntist] n.(自然)科学家 (高中英语单词)
• astronomy [ə´strɔnəmi] n.天文学 (英语四级单词)
• biological [,baiə´lɔdʒikəl] a.生物学(上)的 (英语六级单词)
• vacuum [´vækjuəm] n.真空；空间 (英语六级单词)