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The vessel containing lunar rocks and soil is delivered to the National Astronomical Observatories in Beijing on Saturday. XU JINGXING / CHINA DAILY
The National Astronomical Observatories will begin the study of lunar rocks and soil
The National Astronomical Observatories, a subsidiary of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, have taken over the moon rocks and soil brought in by the robotic probe Chang’e 5 from China and will soon begin researching them.
A ceremony to receive 1,731 grams of lunar samples was held at the headquarters of the National Astronomical Observatories in Beijing on Saturday morning, shortly after Zhang Kejian, head of China’s National Space Administration, handed them over to Hou Jianguo, president of the academy.
At the ceremony, Hou formally handed over the samples to Chang Jin, head of the National Astronomical Observatories, and also gave Chang a certificate authorizing the research.
The Chang’e 5 reentry capsule landed in Siziwang Banner, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on Thursday morning, and the cargo, sealed in a vacuum container, was airlifted to Beijing on Thursday afternoon. It was initially handled by experts from the Chinese Academy of Space Technology.
The completion of the delivery marked the beginning of investigation of the samples, the administration said in a statement, adding that it will publish guidelines on the distribution and use of the sample and encourage scientists around the world to participate.
The samples entered China’s first lunar sample laboratory in Beijing, where they will be opened and processed for future research. The observatories said the research will help deepen humanity’s knowledge of the moon and the evolutionary history of the solar system.
Chang said the lunar samples have significant scientific significance because the site where Chang’e 5 drilled and collected the soil was new, as were the technologies applied.
The Chang’e 5 probe, which comprises four main components (an orbiter, a lander, an ascendant, and a reentry capsule) was launched on November 24. Its lander and ascendant combination landed on December 1 in the Mons Rumker region of the moon’s Oceanus Procellarum, America for Ocean of Storms, on the western edge of the near side of the moon.
The landing site was on a vast volcanic plain that had never been sampled before, and the rocks and soil in the area are believed to be much younger than previous samples collected by the United States and the former Soviet Union.
Scientists believe that the new lunar samples, the first recovered by humanity in 44 years, could help fill a major gap in their understanding of volcanic activity and the evolution of the moon.
“We will organize teams of scientists to work carefully, not to waste a single sample, and to explore the infinite scientific value hidden behind each sample scientifically,” Chang said.
The CAS has played a key role in China’s lunar exploration project and participated in all the Chang’e missions. He is also responsible for the development of many key assistive technologies, such as a ground application system and a payload subsystem.
Hou said the success of Chang’e 5 in bringing back lunar samples made China the third country in the world to recover samples from the moon after the United States and the former Soviet Union.
Handing over the samples to CAS was an honor and a great responsibility, he said, adding that all relevant departments of the academy will promote cooperation and strengthen collaborative research, conserve and use lunar samples well, and aim to produce scientific results. significant. results.
Scientists will also work to popularize science and stimulate innovation and creativity in society and vigorously carry forward the spirit of lunar exploration, he added.
The National Space Administration of China said at a press conference in Beijing on Friday that China welcomes the joint investigation and is willing to engage in sincere and friendly cooperation with the United States depending on the policy of the US government.
He said the samples will be used in research, exhibited in museums, shared with international peers, or given as gifts to heads of state and dignitaries. Research will be the most important and primary use.
