According to a May 9 report by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the first batch of lunar samples obtained by humans in nearly 50 years has arrived in the UK. This precious sample, borrowed from China, is currently stored in a safe at a facility in Buckinghamshire, England, which has implemented high-level security measures.

The report states that Professor Mahesh Anand of The Open University, a planetary scientist, is the only British scientist approved to borrow these samples. He told the BBC reporter, "Global scientists have had no access to these samples from China before, so this is a supreme honor and privilege." He described these research samples as "more valuable than gold."

Professor Anand's research team plans to use laser technology to grind and analyze the samples in an attempt to solve mysteries about the formation of the moon and the early evolution of Earth. These minute lunar dust particles may contain evidence supporting a hypothesis that the moon was formed from debris thrown off when a Mars-sized planet collided with Earth 4.5 billion years ago. The professor said their research would require no more than 60 milligrams of the sample.

In 2020, China's Chang'e-5 mission collected approximately 2 kilograms of lunar soil samples. At that time, the probe landed near a mountain range named Montes Rumker on the surface of the moon, and the lunar samples collected were brought back to Earth by the return capsule, becoming the first successful acquisition of lunar surface samples by humanity since the Soviet lunar mission in 1976.

According to information on the website of the China National Space Administration, on April 24 this year, the results of the international borrowing application for the Chang'e-5 mission lunar samples were released. Ultimately, the borrowing applications of seven institutions, including the Institute of Global Physics in Paris, Germany's Cologne University, Japan's Osaka University, Pakistan's Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission, The Open University in the UK, Brown University in the US, and Stony Brook University in New York State, USA, passed the review and can obtain lunar samples brought back by the Chang'e-5 mission to conduct scientific research.

The BBC reported that at a solemn ceremony held in Beijing, the Chinese side handed over the lunar samples sealed in a bottle to Professor Anand. In Beijing, he also met with fellow scientists from Russia, Japan, Pakistan, and Europe.

Professor Anand said, "It's almost like coming from a parallel universe - China's investment in space projects far surpasses ours." In Beijing, he placed the sealed bottle in what he considered the safest place he could think of - his carry-on luggage, carrying it with him back to the UK.

Professor Anand said, "I hope this is the beginning of long-term cooperation between China and international scientists. Many of us have embarked on our scientific careers through research on the samples brought back by the Apollo missions, and I think this is a very worthy tradition to pass on. I hope other countries will follow suit."

To prevent contamination, the lunar soil samples must be kept in a sealed bottle. Image source: BBC

Professor Anand receives lunar samples in China

Kong Erjun

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7502367689076146722/

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