moon
China’s space program discovers new mineral from the Moon in 46-year first
- China has discovered a new mineral from the Moon for the first time in the country’s history, 46 years after Russia’s Luna 24 mission in 1976.
- The mineral, which has been named Changesite-(Y), was confirmed by the New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification of the International Mineralogical Association as a new type of mineral on Friday.
- Changesite-(Y) was included in the 1,731 grams of lunar samples that the Chang’e-5 probe collected from Oceanus Procellarum, a basalt area on the Moon formed by lunar volcanic eruptions billions of years ago, during the moon mission in December 2020.
- "We brought back 1,731 grams of lunar samples from the Chang'e-5 probe. And through joint research, we've achieved substantial scientific results,” Liu Jizhong, director of China's Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center, said.
China has discovered a new mineral from the Moon after sifting through the first lunar samples gathered in 46 years.
The new mineral, Changesite-(Y), named after China’s lunar exploration project Chang’e Project, was included among the 140,000 lunar sample particles studied by the Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology through high-tech procedures like X-ray diffraction.
China slams NASA chief’s claim that it is planning to ‘take over’ the Moon
- Several Chinese experts, including Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian, denied NASA Administrator Bill Nelson’s recent claims that China is planning to “take over” the Moon.
- “We must be very concerned that China is landing on the Moon and saying: 'It's ours now and you stay out,’” Nelson told German newspaper Bild on Saturday.
- Responding to Nelson’s claims, Zhao accused NASA of ignoring facts, saying, “The U.S. side has constantly constructed a smear campaign against China's normal and reasonable outer space endeavors, and China firmly opposes such irresponsible remarks."
- China is reportedly planning an uncrewed mission to the Moon later this decade, while the U.S. is preparing to send a crewed mission to the lunar surface by 2024 under its Artemis program.
China has denied NASA Administrator Bill Nelson’s claims that the East Asian country is planning to “take over” the Moon.
The head of NASA told German newspaper Bild on Saturday that China and the U.S. are in a “new race to space,” referencing the space race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union between the ‘50s and the ‘70s.
China’s Chang’E 5 lunar lander is first in history to find water on the moon up close
- China’s Chang'E- 5 became the first lunar mission to detect water on the Moon’s surface in real time in 2020.
- The craft’s onboard mineralogical spectrometer found up to 120 parts per million of water content in the regolith and 180 parts per million in a boulder.
- The study revealing the findings was recently published in the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances.
China’s recent lunar sample return mission made history by becoming the first to detect water on the Moon’s surface in real time.
The Chang’E-5 probe, which landed on the Moon on Dec. 1, 2020, found water at its landing site in the Northern Oceanus Procellarum’s basin, according to recently published research in Science Advances.
China Successfully Brings Back World’s First Lunar Samples in 40 Years
China has recently brought rocks collected from the “Mons Rümker” region, a volcanic complex in the moon that has not been previously explored, back to Earth.
The return capsule of China’s Chang’e-5 probe touched down on Earth in the early hours of Thursday, bringing back the country’s first samples collected from the moon, as well as the world’s freshest lunar samples in over 40 years. #ChangE5 #LunarProbe pic.twitter.com/hyLaFBUtdD
Lonely Japanese Billionaire is Seeking a Date He Can Take to the Moon
A Japanese fashion mogul is currently looking for a female “life partner” to accompany him on a flight to the moon.
Yusaku Maezawa, 44, is scheduled to become the first civilian to fly around earth’s natural satellite by way of SpaceX’s Big Falcon Rocket in 2023, having purchased all its seats in 2018.
China’s Lunar Spacecraft Grows the Very First Plants on the Moon
Nearly two weeks after making a successful landing on the dark side of the moon with Chang’e 4, China’s moon mission saw the first sprout of cotton seeds planted in the mini biosphere of its lunar spacecraft.
Scientists behind the experiment made the astonishing announcement on Tuesday.
China Reveals FIRST EVER Photos of Dark Side of the Moon from Chang’e 4
The first on-land photos of the far side of the moon (famously referred to as the dark side of the moon) have now been sent to Earth by the Chang’e 4 lunar spacecraft, marking a historic moment for China’s space program.
China to Be the First Country to Land on the Moon’s Dark Side
China is gearing up to land on the dark side of the moon, a pioneering move that will cement its position as a world leader in space exploration.
Humans have only ever seen the bright side of the moon due to tidal locking, a phenomenon caused by its gravitational interaction with Earth. It takes the same 28 days to rotate once on its axis and revolve around the planet.
China Will Start Growing Potatoes on the Moon Next Year
Scientists in China will attempt to create a “mini ecosystem” consisting of insects and potatoes in the moon next year.
The project, discussed at the recent Global Space Exploration Conference (GLEX 2017) in Beijing, is one of several missions that make up the country’s lunar exploration program.
India Plans to Start Mining the Moon by 2030
India’s ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) has something very ambitious in mind — they plan to start mining on the Moon to meet the country’s energy needs by the year 2030.
According to a report by Live Mint, the country’s leading space agency is working on a plan to mine Helium-3 rich lunar dust and bring it back to the Earth. This plan on mining dust of the moon was first revealed in February by Dr. Sivathanu Pillai.
