Tag: lunar research

#CNSA #ChinaNationalSpaceAdministration #国家航天局 |#BRI #April2024 | #China #PeoplesRepublicOfChina  and #Thailand will carry out aerospace- #SpaceExploration cooperation such as an international lunar scientific research station on the Moon Collaboration  #ASummary  

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[China and Thailand will carry out aerospace cooperation such as an international lunar scientific research station]

On April 5, the China National Space Administration and the Thai Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation jointly signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the exploration and peaceful use of outer space and international lunar scientific research. Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation.

Princess Sirindhorn of Thailand attended and witnessed the signing. Zhang Kejian, Administrator of the China National Space Administration, delivered a welcome speech. Supramas, Minister of the Ministry of Higher Education of Thailand, attended the event. Xu Zhanbin, Deputy Administrator of the China National Space Administration, and Peng Shu, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Higher Education of Thailand, signed the cooperation agreement on behalf of both parties. According to the agreement, Li Guoping, chief engineer of China National Space Administration, participated in the event. According to the Memorandum of Understanding, China and Thailand will establish a joint committee and a joint working group to plan and implement joint space projects, scientific exchange projects and personnel training plans, exchange data and information, and joint Organize symposiums and scientific workshops to strengthen cooperation.


[Princess Sirindhorn of Thailand visits the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory ]
On April 5, 2024, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand visited the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory. Zhang Kejian, Administrator of the China National Space Administration, Xu Zhanbin, Deputy Administrator, Li Guoping, Chief Engineer, Wu Yanhua, Chief Designer of Major Deep Space Exploration Projects, Academician Wu Weiren, Director of the Laboratory, and Guan Feng, Executive Director, attended the event.


Princess Sirindhorn visited the laboratory hall, inspected with great interest the lunar soil samples collected by the Chang’e-5 mission, the Yutu lunar rover, the Tianwen-1 Mars landing platform and other exhibits, and listened in detail to the major issues of China’s deep space exploration. Briefing on the special project tasks, carefully observed the demonstration of the overall collaborative design simulation platform system of the deep space exploration project, and attended and witnessed the signing ceremony of the letter of intent for cooperation between the China National Space Administration and the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation of Thailand on the International Lunar Research Station.


Princess Sirindhorn highly affirmed my country’s outstanding achievements in the field of deep space exploration in recent years, and expressed that she would strongly support China and Thailand to carry out extensive cooperation in the field of deep space exploration.
Zhang Kejian presented Princess Sirindhorn with a commemorative album of her visit to China’s aerospace industry. Wu Yanhua presented Princess Sirindhorn with an album introducing China’s deep space exploration. Princess Sirindhorn signed the name of the laboratory as a souvenir.


The two parties will focus on the demonstration, project implementation, operation and application of the international lunar scientific research station, organize expert teams to conduct research from the three aspects of science, engineering and international cooperation, and form a cooperation plan. At the same time, other countries, international organizations, scientific research institutes, Universities, industrial entities and scientists join the international lunar scientific research station program and benefit from joint free space exploration activities

Images and visuals are from their Respectives CMS China Manned Space CNSA-China National Space Administration

#CNSA #ChinaNationalSpaceAdministration #国家航天局 |#BeltAndRoadinitiative #June2022 | #嫦娥五号#CLEP The #Moon #Change5 #LunarMission #MonsRumker #LunaExploration Announcement The new results reveal the distribution characteristics of lunar surface water in the landing area. The lunar soil contains water in the form of hydroxyl groups …

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More than One year ago on 24th November 2020, the Chang Zheng – Long March Five Carrier Rocket Launched away  in CNSA – China National Space Administration China Wenchang spaceport launch, Change Five  Lunar probe into orbit, opened up towards China – People’s Republic of China’s first celestial bodies sample return trip from Mons Rumker on the Lunar Surface.……  

[The new results of Chang’e 5 reveal the distribution characteristics of lunar surface water in the landing area. The lunar soil contains water in the form of hydroxyl groups]

On June 15, “Nature Communications” published an important research result of my country’s Chang’e 5 online.
Whether there is water on the moon, how much water there is, what form of water it is, and where the water comes from is controversial, and it has always been a research hotspot in lunar science. At the beginning of the Chang’e-5 mission project demonstration, the research team proposed to extend the spectral range of the lunar mineral spectrometer on the lander to 3.2 μm, and realized the first in-situ detection of the spectral absorption characteristics of lunar surface water in the world. In order to avoid the impact of the dynamic “water” (hydroxyl OH) when the engine plume and the solar wind bombard the lunar surface on the in-situ spectral analysis, the research team carefully designed the timing of acquiring the in-situ detection spectral data. The detection timing was selected 6 hours after landing to avoid the influence of the engine plume composition when the CE-5 probe landed; The dynamic “water” of the lunar surface; the moon (landing zone) is under the protection of the earth’s magnetic field during the spectral measurement, which shields the solar wind and avoids the dynamic “water” (hydroxyl OH) factor produced by the bombardment of the solar wind. In this environment, the Chang’e-5 spectrometer can obtain a “clean” absorption spectrum of “water”. After strict correction and analysis, the research team found that the lunar soil in the Chang’e-5 landing area obviously contains “water” in the form of hydroxyl groups. But the average content is low, only about 30ppm.



At present, it is believed that there are three main sources of lunar “water”: one is (dynamic) hydroxyl substances produced by the interaction between solar wind particles and lunar surface materials; the other is water and hydroxyl-containing substances brought by comets or meteorites that hit the moon; Lunar primary (internal) water. After the lunar samples were returned to Earth, the research team conducted a systematic analysis of the returned lunar samples in the laboratory. The laboratory spectral analysis once again verified the clear existence of hydroxy water, but the research on the existence form, content and source of “water” requires detailed research. Mineral petrological analysis. The Apollo lunar sample study believes that the (impact) cemented glass in the lunar soil contains hydroxyl substances formed by the long-term injection of the solar wind, and the content of cemented glass is an important factor affecting the “water” content in the lunar sample. Laboratory analysis of the returned samples showed that the Chang’e 5 lunar sample is a type of young basalt with a very small content of cemented glass (less than 16%), which is only 1/3 of the Apollo 11 lunar sample, so it is estimated that the Chang’e 5 lunar soil sample The “water” from the solar wind injected into the cemented glass is not more than 18ppm. At the same time, the foreign impact sputters in the lunar soil samples of the Chang’e-5 landing area are very low, and their contribution to “water” can be ignored. Therefore, there must be primary water originating from the interior of the moon in the Chang’e-5 lunar soil samples. Laboratory analysis of the Chang’e-5 lunar samples found at least one hydrous mineral, hydroxyapatite, whose content was uneven, ranging from 0 ppm to 179 ppm (average about 17 ppm) in equivalent samples of hydroxy water, proving that The presence of “water” from the magma crystallization process in the Chang’e-5 lunar soil samples indicates that “water” not only existed, but also played a very important role in the late lunar magmatic activity.


The lunar in-situ detection spectral data of this research result were obtained by the Lunar Mineral Spectrum Analyzer developed by the Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The operation management, data reception and processing of the scientific detection load were carried out by the National Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Lunar Exploration Engineering Ground Application System).

Via CNSA China Space Administration –CLEP China Lunar Exploration project management office

#CNSA #ChinaNationalSpaceAdministration #国家航天局 |#BeltAndRoadinitiative #April2022 | #嫦娥五号#CLEP The #Moon #Change5 #LunarMission #MonsRumker #LunaExploration Announcement on the release of the fourth batch of lunar scientific research samples…

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More than One year ago on 24th November 2020, the Chang Zheng – Long March Five Carrier Rocket Launched away  in CNSA – China National Space Administration China Wenchang spaceport launch, Change Five  Lunar probe into orbit, opened up towards China – People’s Republic of China’s first celestial bodies sample return trip from Mons Rumker on the Lunar Surface.……  

​​On the 15th April 2022 Friday, Issuing  it’s the Lunar Exploration and Aerospace Engineering Center (Lunar Sample Management Office) organized the fourth lunar scientific research sample loan application review meeting in Beijing. After review by the expert committee and the Lunar Exploration and Aerospace Engineering Center, 37 applications submitted by 18 responsible persons from 11 scientific research institutions were approved, totaling 8.768g. The specific list is as follows: The public can visit the CNSA China National Space AdministrationCLEP China Lunar Exploration and Deep Space Exploration Network http://www.clep.org.cn, enter the Lunar and Deep Space Exploration Scientific Data and Sample Release System, obtain relevant information, and apply for scientific research samples. 

Applicants who are approved should sign a lunar sample loan agreement with the Lunar Exploration Center within 10 working days and receive a lunar sample certificate. After that, contact the Lunar Sample Laboratory of the National Astronomical Observatory in accordance with the procedures to go through the relevant procedures for sample collection.       

Via CNSA China Space Administration –CLEP China Lunar Exploration project management office Lunar Exploration and Aerospace Engineering Center      

#CNSA #ChinaNationalSpaceAdministration #国家航天局 |#BeltAndRoadinitiative #October2021 | #嫦娥五号The #Moon #Change5 probe its Heroic Lunar Mission from #MonsRumker #LunaExploration #Chang’e5 Research lunar samples refreshing Traditional Understanding of Lunar Evolution…

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On October 19th Thursday 2021, the Chinese Academy of Sciences  released the latest research results of the Chang’e-5 lunar scientific research samples. A number of breakthroughs have given a new understanding of the evolution of the moon. The research results of the lunar samples of Chang’e 5 show that magma activity still existed on the moon until 2 billion years ago. The lunar mantle source area of ​​late magma activity is not rich in radioactive heat-generating elements and is very “dry”. This series of research is led by the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the National Astronomical Observatory, and jointly carried out by a number of research institutions. The related results have formed 4 papers, one published in the “National Science Review”, and published in the international academic journal “Nature” 3 articles.

The duration and geochemical characteristics of the lunar basalt magma are the “keys” for understanding the thermal-chemical evolution of the moon. Previous studies have confirmed that magma activity on the moon lasted at least approximately 2.8 to 3 billion years ago. However, there has been controversy in the scientific community about the exact time when the lunar magma activity ceased. The study found that the lunar sample of Chang’e 5 is a new type of lunar basalt, which is different from the lunar samples collected and returned by the United States and the Soviet Union. Researchers analyzed more than 50 uranium-rich minerals in the basalt cuttings of the Chang’e 5 lunar sample and determined that the basalt formation age was 20.30±0.04 billion years, indicating that there was still magma activity on the moon until 2 billion years ago, which is more than the limit of previous lunar samples. Magma activity has been extended for about 800 million years.

​10月19日，中国科学院发布嫦娥五号月球科研样品最新研究成果，多项突破性进展给出了对月球演化的全新认识。嫦娥五号月球样品研究结果显示，月球直到20亿年前仍存在岩浆活动，晚期岩浆活动的月幔源区并不富含放射性生热元素，而且非常“干”。该系列研究由中国科学院地质与地球物理研究所和国家天文台主导，联合多家研究机构共同开展，相关成果形成4篇论文，在《国家科学评论》发表1篇，在国际学术期刊《自然》发表3篇。

月海玄武岩浆的持续时间和地球化学特征是理解月球热-化学演化的“钥匙”。此前的研究已证实，月球岩浆活动至少持续到大约28亿至30亿年前。但对于月球岩浆活动停止的确切时间，科学界一直存在争议。研究发现，嫦娥五号月球样品为一类新的月海玄武岩，不同于美国和苏联采集返回的月球样品。科研人员对嫦娥五号月球样品玄武岩岩屑中50余颗富铀矿物进行分析，确定玄武岩形成年龄为20.30±0.04亿年，表明月球直到20亿年前仍存在岩浆活动，比以往月球样品限定的岩浆活动延长了约8亿年。

The cause of the most recent magmatic activity on the Moon has always been an unsolved mystery. At present, there are two possible explanations in the scientific community: the lunar mantle source is rich in radioactive elements to provide a heat source, or the lunar mantle is rich in water to lower its melting point. The latest study found that the lunar mantle source area of ​​the basalt from the lunar sample of Chang’e 5 is not enriched in “Krip material.” Since the “Krip material” is rich in radioactive heat-generating elements, this result proves that the radioactive heat-generating elements of the lunar mantle are not the main reason for the formation of the basalt of the Chang’e-5 lunar sample. Regarding whether the magma source area is rich in water, the research team measured the water content and hydrogen isotopic composition in the basalt of the Chang’e 5 lunar sample, and found that the water content in the lunar mantle source area was only 1 to 5 micrograms/g, which means that the lunar mantle Very “dry”. This discovery also excludes the hypothesis that the lunar mantle is rich in water and has a low melting point, resulting in an abnormally prolonged duration of magma activity in this area.

月球最晚期岩浆活动的成因一直是未解之谜，目前科学界存在两种可能的解释：月幔源区富含放射性元素以提供热源，或月幔富含水从而降低其熔点。最新研究发现，嫦娥五号月球样品玄武岩的月幔源区并不富集“克里普物质”。由于“克里普物质”富含放射性生热元素，这一结果证明月幔放射性生热元素并不是形成嫦娥五号月球样品玄武岩的主要原因。对于岩浆源区是否富含水，科研团队测定了嫦娥五号月球样品玄武岩中的水含量和氢同位素组成，发现月幔源区的水含量仅为1至5微克/克，也就是说月幔非常“干”。这一发现也排除了月幔富水而具有低熔点，导致该区域岩浆活动持续时间异常延长的猜想。

Water content and hydrogen isotopic composition of apatite and melt inclusions in the Chang’e-5 basalt sample
Backscattered scanning electron microscope image of apatite and magma inclusions in the Chang’e-5 basalt (a) A complete picture of the basalt cuttings (406-010,023) in the alloy target. The cuttings are mainly composed of olivine (Ol), It is composed of pyroxene (Px), feldspar (Pl) and ilmenite (Ilm), and a small amount of iron olivine (Fa), meteorite (Tro), spinel (Sp), apatite (Apa) and Quartz (Q). 
(B), (c) and (d) are the partial images of the cuttings respectively. 
(B) The figure shows the melt inclusion (MI) surrounded by ilmenite. 
(C) and (d) show that apatite is mainly produced in the intergranular area and is euhedral or semi-automorphic

According to the hypothesis of the origin of the big impact, the original Earth collided with a planetary planet the size of Mars, forming a “disk” composed of high-temperature magma and gas around the earth. When the temperature begins to cool, materials such as silicate first gather to form the moon (Figure 1), and water is a highly volatile material that escapes into space in a gaseous form and is lost. Therefore, the moon born in this way contains almost no water and is a nearly dry planet. The research results of the lunar samples of Chang’e 5 further provided supporting evidence for the origin and evolution of the moon, raised new scientific questions for the study of the lunar thermal evolution history, and proposed new directions for future lunar exploration and research.

We welcome domestic and foreign scientists to join the ranks of the research on these data and samples. At present, research on lunar samples is mainly carried out by domestic scientific research institutions, and foreign scientists have joined the Chinese team to carry out joint research. In the follow-up, we will issue relevant policies, uphold the principles of “equality and mutual benefit, peaceful use, and inclusive development”, expand international exchanges and cooperation, and provide more Chinese wisdom, Chinese solutions, and Chinese power for the peaceful use of space and the promotion of a community with a shared future for mankind.

根据大撞击起源假说，原始地球与一个火星大小的星子碰撞，形成了一个围绕地球的、由高温岩浆和气体组成的“盘”。当温度开始冷却时，硅酸盐等物质首先聚集形成月球（图1），而水属于强挥发的物质，会以气态形式向太空逃逸而丢失。因此，这种方式诞生的月球，几乎不含水，是一个近乎干透了的星球。嫦娥五号月球样品的研究成果进一步为月球起源及演变提供了支撑证据，为月球热演化历史研究提出了新的科学问题，对未来的月球探测和研究提出了新的方向。

我们欢迎国内外科学家加入对这些数据和样品的研究行列。目前，月球样品研究主要由国内科研机构牵头开展，也有国外的科学家加入中国团队开展联合研究。后续，我们将出台相关政策，秉持“平等互利、和平利用、包容发展”的原则，扩大国际交流与合作，为人类和平利用太空、推动人类命运共同体提供更多中国智慧、中国方案、中国力量。

Images and visuals are from Weibo and there respectives.