On Jan.1, 2013, Wu Ji, Director General of National Space Science Center (NSSC), delivers New Year’s Message to NSSC staff at home and abroad. The New Year’s Message is entitled Do Our Best to Contribute to Space Science in China. The text of the Message is as follows:
With the snowflakes swiftly falling down and the stars twinkling in the moonlight, the New Year's bell is about to ring and 2013 is soon to begin. It means to ring out the old and ring in the new. On behalf of the board of NSSC, I am very delighted to extend our heartfelt gratitude and wishes to all the NSSC staff, graduate students, and retired employees for your diligent work in the year 2012, your great contributions to the development of NSSC and your everlasting concerns on NSSC’s future no matter where you are.
The year 2012 has witnessed a rapid development of NSSC. All 7 projects encompassed in the Strategic Pioneer Program (SPP) on Space Science, have been progressing well. Four of the five planned space science missions have entered their engineering phase. Future space science mission key technology studies and advanced pre-studies have also been progressing well. Furthermore, the Development Plan for Space Science Satellite Missions from 2016 to 2030 has been officially initiated. Manned Space Flight Program, Lunar Exploration Program, and also many of the applied satellite missions, Meridian Project, 973 Program (the National Basic Research Program) on Space Environment, 863 Program (the National High-tech R&D Program) and programs supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China are all progressing well. Our annual revenue has reached a new record in 2012. The outputs of our research work have been gradually transforming from papers only to papers plus their impact to the applications. International cooperation has also achieved a breakthrough. International Space Science Institute Beijing Branch (ISSI-BJ) has been initialized. And the Oversea Innovation Team on Space Science has been formed.
However, I think 2013 is a year full of challenges, opportunities and developments. We are expecting to face many difficulties during the engineering demonstration phase of the 4 space science missions. The launches of Shenzhou 10 and Chang'E 3 will be in this year. Developments of future missions of them are expecting a faster pace. We must be fully prepared. The development schedules of many application satellite missions are also very tight. In basic research projects, some of them should prepare for conclusions since they are facing the end of the development phase in 2013. We should also work hard for new proposals of grand projects. In order to overcome those difficulties and grasp all these opportunities, we must first improve ourselves in all three aspects --- theoretical level, technology abilities and managements.
The coming year 2013 is the kick-off year for the whole nation to study further and carry out the development strategy proposed in the 18th CPC National Congress. Meanwhile, a more urgent national demand for scientific innovation is proposed. We must stand up and take this responsibility since the Chinese Academy of Sciences is the national team in this filed. Let’s work hard together with more thorough studies and more solid works. We should do our best to contribute to space science in China.
At last, I sincerely wish a happy life and pleasant work with you in the coming New Year!