HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – August 7, 2023 – Geologists from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) have achieved a historic feat by obtaining lunar soil samples collected by China’s Chang’e-5 lunar probe in 2020. It This is the first time a research team from Hong Kong has obtained such samples.
With the support of Dr. Joseph MICHALSKI from HKU’s Department of Earth Sciences, postdoctoral fellow Dr. Yuqi QIAN formed a team to apply for the lunar samples. The team got approval from the Chinese National Space Administration’s Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center to study the lunar soil samples.
Led by postdoctoral researcher Dr. Yuqi QIAN from the Department of Earth Sciences of the Faculty of Science, the team obtained approval from the Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center of the Chinese National Space Administration to study lunar soil samples. Dr Qian personally traveled to Beijing to collect the samples, which weigh a total of 822.6 milligrams. These lunar samples offer valuable information about the geological and thermal history of the Moon and its connection to the formation and evolution of planetary bodies in the solar system. The HKU team’s achievement underscores the university’s growing contributions to China’s lunar and planetary exploration efforts.
“It’s a dream come true for us and for the space science community in Hong Kong,” said Qian, who looks forward to analyzing the samples using state-of-the-art instruments at the university. “We hope to unlock the secrets of the Moon and better understand early Earth, which could have important implications for our understanding of the solar system and beyond.”
Previous study on Chang’e-5 landing site paves the way
Dr. Qian is making 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 comprehensive picture, he focused on different aspects such as regolith properties, volcanic history and provenance of lunar soils. His research has been published in leading journals and widely cited, with over 400 citations, reinforcing his position as an emerging expert. Recently, Dr. Qian joined HKU as a postdoctoral fellow after earning his PhD in planetary geology from China University of Geosciences.
Building on years of research on the Moon, the most exhilarating moment of his research career was an exciting discovery regarding the latest volcanic activity on the surface of the Moon – he discovered that the eastern part of the region of The preselected Chang’e-5 landing contained one of the Moon’s youngest marine basalts.
Recognizing the scientific significance of this discovery, he proposed that Chang’e-5 explore this region to collect these young basalts, which were younger than any previously returned lunar basalts.
In 2020, Chang’e-5 successfully landed on the lunar surface in the Procellarum KREEP Terrane, a province of chemical anomalies known for high heat-producing elements and lunar volcanic deposits. After analyzing samples taken from this region, scientists were stunned to discover that the basalts were 2.0 billion years old, nearly a billion years younger than any previous lunar volcanic samples collected by the Apollo or Luna missions. This groundbreaking discovery confirmed Dr. Qian’s prediction and reshaped our understanding of lunar history. She also raised the question: how was the young volcanism born?
Dr. Qian had worked tirelessly on this issue, using remote sensing techniques to explore the volcanic history of the Chang’e-5 landing site. His previous research proposed that the Chang’e-5 basalts originated from the Rima Sharp source vent, whose channel is only about 15 km from the landing site. Rima Sharp is a meandering lunar rilles that took tons of lava to form and was very likely to be sampled by Chang’e-5.
Prepare for an overview of the volcanic history of the Moon and the evolution of planetary bodies in the solar system
After joining HKU, Dr. Qian recognized the potential of the support and resources available at the university to advance understanding of young lunar volcanism with samples. When Dr. Qian learned that the sixth batch of lunar research samples was open for applications earlier this year, he quickly mobilized scientists in the department to join his application. “I knew this was an opportunity we could not miss for the further development of lunar science at HKU and with our collaborators across Hong Kong,” said Dr Qian.
With the support of Dr. Joseph MICHALSKI of the Department of Earth Sciences, an expert with extensive experience in planetary geology and mineralogy, Dr. Qian formed a team to request the lunar samples. Other members of the department included Professor Guochun ZHAO, a renowned geologist specializing in tectonic processes and the evolution of the Earth’s lithosphere; Dr Weiran LI, volcanologist specializing in magmatism, the volatile cycle and volcanic hazards; Professor Min SUN, an eminent geochemist specializing in the evolution of old continents; Professor Jian ZHANG, structural geologist specializing in crustal growth and tectonic evolution; and Dr. Yiliang LI, an astrobiologist whose research focuses on the search for life beyond Earth.
Now, armed with the returning samples and his earlier research, Dr. Qian and the team can link remote sensing and laboratory studies to unlock the secrets behind lunar basalts and answer the question that has puzzled scientists about the origins. young volcanism on the Moon. The team aims to use petro-volcanological and spectroscopic techniques to reconstruct and study the generation, ascent and eruption of lunar magmas, focusing on the evolution of volatiles in lunar soil samples. By analyzing the volatiles in the samples, the team hopes to better understand the history of lunar late volcanism and the distribution and evolution of volatiles in the Moon’s magmatic system, providing valuable insight into the geological and thermal history of the Moon and its connection with formation. and the evolution of the solar system in the future.
Dr. Qian’s supervisor, Dr. Joseph Michalski, established the Planetary Spectroscopy and Mineralogy Laboratory at HKU, with the goal of providing laboratory support for space missions. He said the successful acquisition of lunar samples from the Chang’e-5 mission proved the value of the lab and expressed his hope for future collaborations in the search for samples. He said: “We are also proud to work with our collaborators from Hong Kong Polytechnic University and other universities in Hong Kong to build a strong space research community, which could help us in our future collaborations and explorations. ”
Dr. Qian said he was excited to be part of the effort to explore the Moon, Mars and beyond. He said: “I believe space exploration is crucial for the future of humanity. It’s an exciting time to be involved in this field, and I hope our research will inspire future generations to continue exploring and expanding our knowledge of vast space.
In addition to studying samples collected by Chang’e-5, Dr. Qian looks forward to the upcoming Chang’e-6 mission to the far side of the Moon. He hopes to conduct further research on lunar geology based on China’s future lunar missions, especially crewed ones and the International Lunar Research Station, which could provide valuable information on the formation and evolution of the moon. Moon and open the way for man to other worlds.
More information about Dr. Yuqi Qian:
https://yuqiqian.com
More information about Dr. Joseph Michalski: https://www.clays.space
Check out Dr. Qian’s EPMA analysis of lunar samples in this video:
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Hashtag: #HKU
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