HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach
– Geologists at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) have accomplished the historic feat of obtaining a lunar soil sample collected by the Chinese lunar probe Chang’e-5 in 2020. This marks the first time a Hong Kong research team has obtained such a sample.
Led by postdoctoral fellow Dr Yuqi QIAN of the Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science, the team obtained approval from the Center for Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering of the China National Space Agency to study lunar soil samples. Dr Qian personally traveled to Beijing to collect the samples, which totaled 822.6 milligrams. These lunar samples provide valuable insight into the geological and thermal history of the Moon and its relationship to the formation and evolution of planetary bodies in the Solar System. The achievement by the HKU team underscores the university’s growing contribution to China’s lunar and planetary exploration efforts.
“The successful acquisition of lunar samples this time is a dream come true for the Hong Kong space science community,” Qian said excitedly. He expressed his desire to use HKU’s state-of-the-art instruments to analyze the samples. “We hope to unravel the secrets of the moon and gain a deeper understanding of the ancient Earth, which is so important for our understanding of the solar system and the world beyond,” he said.
Recommended Chang’e-5 landing area
Dr Qian made waves in the field of planetary geology with his outstanding research at the Chang’e-5 landing site. After publishing the first paper documenting the site and building a complete picture, he has focused on aspects such as the properties of the regolith, volcanic history and the origins of the lunar soil.
His research work has been published in leading journals and widely cited, with more than 400 citations, cementing his position as an emerging expert. Recently, Dr Qian joined HKU as a postdoctoral fellow after obtaining his doctorate in Planetary Geology from the China University of Geosciences.
In recent years of lunar science research, one of the studies that excited him the most was the exploration of young volcanic activity on the lunar surface. He found that the eastern portion of the pre-selected Chang’e 5 landing area contains the basalt of the youngest mare on the moon. Realizing the importance of this discovery, he proposed in his paper to explore this area to collect the youngest lunar regolith.
Recognizing the scientific importance of this find, he proposed that Chang’e-5 explore the region to collect young basalt, which is younger than any previously discovered lunar basalt.
In 2020, Chang’e-5 successfully landed in the Procellarum KREEP Terrane rock formation. This area is rich in radioactive thermogenic elements and lunar volcanic deposits, and is a geochemical anomaly. Analyzing samples taken from the area, scientists found that the basalt is only 2 billion years old; a discovery that shocked the scientific community as the sample is nearly a billion years younger than the lunar volcanic samples taken by the Apollo or Luna missions. This discovery confirms Dr. Qian, and at the same time raises the question, where did this young volcanic activity come from’
Dr. Qian tirelessly studies related issues and uses remote sensing technology to explore the volcanic history of the Chang’e-5 landing site. His research has suggested that the Chang’e-5 basalt originates from the Sharp Moon Creek crater. Moon Creek is a winding channel formed by lava flows on the moon, its formation requires large amounts of lava, and the magma flow channel is only 15 kilometers from the landing site, so it is likely to be collected by Chang’e-5.
Get Ready to Understand the Volcanic History of the Moon and the Evolution of Planetary Bodies in the Solar System
After joining HKU, Dr. Qian found that HKU is rich in resources and has the potential to study lunar volcanism. At the beginning of this year, Dr. Qian learned that the China National Space Administration had started accepting applications for the sixth wave of lunar research samples, so he immediately mobilized researchers from the Department of Earth Sciences to participate.
“This is an opportunity we should not miss, and it will promote the further development of HKU lunar science research, and even Hong Kong’s entire planetary science,” said Dr Qian.
With the support of Dr. Joseph MICHALSKI, a planetary geologist and mineralogist from the University of Hong Kong’s Department of Earth Sciences, Dr. Qian formed the lunar soil team, whose members include Professor Guochun ZHAO, a well-known geologist specializing in crust tectonic processes and Earth’s lithosphere evolution; Dr. Li Weiran, who specializes in magmatism, volatile cycles and volcanic hazards; Professor Min SUN, a renowned geochemist who studies the evolution of ancient China; And Dr Yiliang LI, an astrobiologist dedicated to studying extraterrestrial life.
Now, armed with the returned sample and previous research, Dr Qian and team can link remote sensing and laboratory research to uncover the secrets behind the Moon’s basalt and answer questions that have puzzled scientists about the origins of youthful volcanism on the Moon.
The team aims to use petrology-volcanology and spectroscopic techniques to reconstruct and study the formation, ascent, and eruption of lunar magma, with a focus on the evolution of volatiles in lunar soil samples. By analyzing the volatiles in the samples, the team hopes to gain insight into the history of late Moon volcanism and the distribution and evolution of volatiles in the Moon’s magma system, providing valuable information about the Moon’s geological and thermal history and its relationship to the formation and evolution of the future Solar System.
Research supervisor Dr. Qian, Dr Joseph Michalski, founded the Laboratory of Planetary Spectroscopy and Mineralogy at HKU to support space missions. He said that the successful acquisition of the Chang’e-5 lunar sample proved the value of the laboratory, and looked forward to participating in more sample research collaborations in the future.
“We are honored to have the opportunity to work with the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and other local university partners to build a strong space research community that will help lay the foundations for future collaboration and exploration,” he said.
Dr Qian expressed his pleasure to be part of the mission to explore the moon, Mars and beyond: “I believe that space exploration is very important for the future of humanity. These are exciting times and I hope our research will inspire future generations. to continue Exploring and expanding our understanding of the vastness of the universe.”
In addition to studying samples of Chang’e-5 lunar soil, Dr. Qian is currently conducting research at the Chang’e-6 landing area. Chang’e-6 will be the first time humans have collected samples on the far side of the moon. It hopes to participate in more Chinese lunar exploration missions in the future and carry out geological research in relevant landing areas, especially the manned missions to the moon and international lunar scientific research station missions. These studies are expected to provide valuable insights into the formation and evolution of the Moon, as well as pave the way for human exploration of other planets.
Know more details about Dr Yuqi Qian at: https://yuqiqian.com
Know more details about Dr Joseph Michalski at:
Learn about Dr Qian’s EPMA Analysis of Moon Samples in this Video:
2023-08-08 05:30:00
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