[Source/Observer Network Qi Qian] On April 24th, at the launch ceremony of the tenth "China Aerospace Day", the China National Space Administration released the results of the international application for borrowing lunar samples from the Chang'e-5 mission. Among the seven institutions from six countries approved to borrow lunar samples this time are two American universities that receive funding from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) - Brown University and Stony Brook University of the State University of New York.
However, according to a May 2 report by Hong Kong's South China Morning Post, Timothy Glotch, a planetary scientist at Stony Brook University in New York, revealed with regret that unlike most NASA-funded lunar sample research projects in the United States, his project will not receive support from NASA.
Gloch said that they will not be allowed to use NASA funds to study the lunar samples borrowed by China, due to the "Wolf Amendment."
For a long time, the United States has excluded China from this space station project. In April 2011, the "Wolf Amendment," approved by the U.S. Congress under the pretext of "national security," prohibited any joint scientific research activities between China and the United States involving NASA or coordinated by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. This notorious provision is also known as the Sino-U.S. "Space Ban."
Last October, the 75th International Astronautical Congress was held in Milan, Italy, where lunar soil samples collected by the Chang'e-6 mission from the far side of the moon were displayed globally for the first time. IC Photo
Gloch added that he is very grateful for the funds provided by his institution to travel to China and the cooperation of the research partner institutions. He said that although still in its early stages, he will collaborate with scientists from the University of Hong Kong and Stony Brook University to analyze the samples.
He also mentioned that officials from Stony Brook University must sign an agreement with the China National Space Administration to borrow the samples before they can be transported out of China.
Gloch told the South China Morning Post that he hopes to compare the properties of the soil and rock samples with those from the Apollo lunar landing program, including comparing their heat dissipation in simulated lunar environments. They will also study the magnetism of lunar soil to better understand how long it has been exposed to space and how it has changed over time.
He said that ultra-thin rock slices will be examined under high-powered microscopes to look for unusual fragments, which may provide clues about the origin and composition of the rocks, thus enhancing scientists' understanding of the complexity of lunar geology. He continued that his goal is to help answer long-standing questions, including the volcanic history of the moon, different surface materials, and how they have changed over billions of years in space.
Timothee Gloch's collaborator, planetary geologist Yiqi Qian from the University of Hong Kong, expressed his excitement about participating in this project. For many years, he has wanted to conduct parallel research on lunar samples from both China and the United States, and it only makes sense to analyze the two sets of samples in the same laboratory and under identical conditions.
Qian Yiqi also mentioned the hindrance of the "Wolf Amendment" to scientific research. He pointed out that due to this amendment, Chinese scientists have difficulty accessing samples from the Apollo program. "I tried contacting NASA before, but their response was absolutely no."
Yiqi Qian stated that now that China has opened its own "treasure trove" to American researchers, he hopes NASA will consider doing the same. He emphasized: "During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union could still cooperate on the International Space Station. There is no reason why China and the United States cannot cooperate in space exploration for common goals today."
In 2020, the successful completion of the Chang'e-5 mission made China the third country after the United States and the Soviet Union to collect samples from the lunar surface. Last June, the Chang'e-6 mission made China the first country to bring back samples from the far side of the moon.
On April 24th, the China National Space Administration released the results of the international application for borrowing lunar samples from the Chang'e-5 mission. Website of the China National Space Administration
According to a message from the China National Space Administration website on April 24th, the administration announced the results of the international application for borrowing lunar samples from the Chang'e-5 mission, approving applications from seven institutions in six countries. These institutions include the Paris Geophysical Institute in France, Cologne University in Germany, Osaka University in Japan, the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission, the Open University in the UK, Brown University in the US, and Stony Brook University of the State University of New York in the US.
Sun Zhongde, administrator of the China National Space Administration, stated that "Chang'e" belongs not only to China but also to the world, and to all humanity. The Chinese lunar exploration project has always adhered to the principles of equality, mutual benefit, peaceful utilization, and win-win cooperation, sharing development outcomes with the international community. China will continue to open up international applications for lunar research samples. We expect global scientists to make more scientific discoveries and jointly expand human cognition for the benefit of all humanity.
On October 1st, 2023, China announced that lunar research samples from the Chang'e-5 mission would be open to international applications, and there was "great enthusiasm" internationally for studying these samples. At that time, NASA began attempting to collaborate with Congress to create an "exception" for the "Wolf Amendment" so that NASA-funded scientists could apply.
In fact, China's lunar samples are highly attractive to American scientists. The earliest news of U.S. institutions interested in applying to study China's lunar soil began with an internal email at the end of 2023. The email stated that such an application was "necessary," not only because China's lunar soil samples had "unique value," but also because lunar soil samples from the Chang'e-5 mission had been made available internationally.
"They (Chinese samples) come from lunar regions that NASA has yet to sample, and are expected to provide valuable new scientific insights into the geological history of the moon." An earlier leaked internal email from the U.S. side wrote: "Applying for these samples will ensure that American researchers have the same research opportunities as scientists around the world."
Last November, the South China Morning Post reported that officials from both China and the United States have been negotiating the possibility of China obtaining lunar samples from the Apollo moon landing program and providing samples brought back by the Chang'e-5 mission for research by American scientists. However, informed sources at the time revealed that while China was ready to share its lunar soil samples, requests for access to American samples had received no response from NASA.
Ironically, according to previous reports by Reuters, even though China has now approved the loan of samples, there is still significant domestic resistance for U.S. institutions to actually obtain them, and it may require what is called a "national security certification." The South China Morning Post's report also mentioned that these two American universities still need special permission from Congress to receive the samples.
On April 23rd, Wu Weiren, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and chief designer of China's lunar exploration project, told Reuters that the United States used to be open, but now seems quite closed, whereas China is now very open. "This is due to the enhancement of our national strength, which brings increased self-confidence." He also emphasized that America's growing "isolationism" does not help achieve its "space ambitions."
Recently, in an interview with Bloomberg, Wu Weiren again criticized the U.S. policy of long-term restrictions on NASA's cooperation with China's aerospace agencies. He said: "We welcome exchanges between China and the United States, right? We are willing to communicate, but he (the U.S.) is unwilling to communicate with us. Our door is open, but his is closed."
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