Chang'e-5 lunar samples support joint China–France moon research

French scientists at the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP) have been analyzing the samples using isotope testing, aiming to understand the moon's formation and evolution.

This is part of the results that the China National Space Administration announced on April 24, granting scientists from institutions in France, Germany, Japan, Pakistan, the United Kingdom and the United States to borrow lunar samples from the Chang'e-5 mission for scientific research.

Frederic Moynier, a professor at IPGP, personally transported the Chang'e-5 samples from China to his lab in Paris. He emphasized the rarity of these samples, which were collected from a northern region of the moon's near side that had never been sampled before, and that they are nearly a billion years younger than the Apollo samples.

According to Moynier, these samples have changed previous understanding by showing that volcanic activity on the moon persisted longer than previously thought.

Using isotopic analysis, he's identifying traces of various elements in the lunar soil. His goal is to compare these findings with samples from other missions to build a more complete picture of the moon's history.

Moynier noted China's growing strength in space science and welcomed the collaboration that has now deepened between Chinese and French researchers thanks to the Chang'e samples.

Long Zhengyu, a Chinese PhD student at IPGP, said that foreign laboratories can provide analysis and testing conditions for the Chang'e lunar samples from China, marking a collaboration in scientific research between China and France.

The project is more than just a scientific endeavor – it also serves as a powerful example of global collaboration and knowledge-sharing.

(Cover: VCG)