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Change site-(Y), a phosphate mineral with column crystal that China discovered on the Moon, was found in soil and rock samples it returned from the surface of the Moon in 2020. According to the Beijing Research Institute for Uranium Geology, one of the primary institutions of China National Nuclear Corp., scientists meticulously isolated the mineral from more than 140,000-minute particles before analysing it using a variety of cutting-edge mineralogical techniques. If the new material has qualities that can be utilised on Earth is yet unknown.
Key Takeaways
- Change site is a new mineral that China found just on Moon, which is a phosphate material in columnar crystal (Y)
- The mineral was discovered among the samples China carried back to earth in 2020.
- This makes the country the third in the world to discover a new moon mineral.
- Only the United States and Russia have found a new substance on the Moon.
China found a crucial component for nuclear fusion.
Our Moon’s surface’s complete composition has long remained a mystery. Humans haven’t been able to return to the Moon in many years, except for the Apollo missions in the 1970s. It has been challenging to examine the components that compose the Moon. China and other countries may now be more motivated than ever to visit the Moon’s surface thanks to the discovery of such a new Moon crystal.
Scientists have been trying to figure out ways to produce endless energy for a long time. One approach that they have been exploring to harness unlimited power efficiently is nuclear fusion. Finding key constituents in such Moon crystals is significant because it may one day make it easier for humans to employ those components.
Of course, moving it from the Moon crystals towards the Earth still has to be done, especially in the quantities required to power fusion reactors. However, if technology turns out to be as widely accessible as scientists anticipate, nuclear fusion may experience some advances in the future. This would enable us to shut down dangerous fossil fuel reactors, contributing to the ongoing issues with climate change.
Approval For China's Lunar Research Base
With the finding of the newfound mineral, China is advancing its lunar programme quickly. The Xi Jinping administration has already given the go-ahead for the fourth stage of lunar missions. The state’s consent was made public by the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA).
“The Chang’e-6 probe’s manufacturing is nearly complete. We decided that the Chang’e-6 probe would collect samples from the distant Moon and return them to Earth in order to better understand the Moon in light of the fact that Chang’e-4 visited the Moon’s far side for the first time. This decision was made after consulting with engineers and scientists. the samples will thus be considerably more valuable, “CGTN cited statements by Liu Jizhong, head of the Lunar Exploration & Aerospace Program Center.
China’s next step will be to build a research facility on the Moon within the next ten years. Chang’e-7 will travel to the Moon’s South Pole in the meantime, and Chang’e-6 will follow to bring back samples from the surface.
China intends to construct a research facility on the lunar surface, and the mission may accelerate in 2022. In 2021, Beijing finished conducting feasibility studies for the fourth stage of its lunar exploration programme. To construct the research station, Russia and China agreed last year.
Pay dirt
Natural crystals composed of elements are called minerals. There are more than 5,000 minerals on Earth, including carbon, silicon, and diamond. Many of these minerals have also been identified on the Moon. However, there haven’t been many new minerals found on the Moon.
China’s National Space Administration (CNSA) has identified a sixth moon mineral, Change site-joining the five already discovered by the United States and the former Soviet Union.
Importance of the new discovery
Our knowledge of the Moon’s past and current makeup can be furthered by discovering a brand-new mineral on the Moon. But the finding of this specific mineral may affect Earth’s life more immediately. Helium-3, an element of helium assumed to be expected on the Moon and thought to be rare on Earth, is present in the chemical makeup of Change site-(Y). Some researchers believe that the first few metres of the surface of the Moon may contain as much as 1.2 million metric tonnes of it.
Helium-3 is a desirable fuel for nuclear fusion reactors since it is non-radioactive; nevertheless, even if we can find out how to make nuclear fusion a workable renewable energy source, it will be useful as our present fuel sources on Earth are limited. You could power the United States for a year with merely 40 metric tonnes of helium-3 if we could mine it on the Moon by locating regions where Change site-(Y) is still most prevalent. That much could be transported to Earth by one of SpaceX’s construction Starships with plenty of capacity to spare. In 2015, NASA Space Tech Research Fellow Aaron Olson stated, “Of the several volatile compounds accessible just on the moon, there is perhaps just one that has considerable value back on Earth.” Helium-3 “may become a substantial lunar export enabling energy production around the planet if employed as fuel in such a nuclear fusion reactor.”
The Big Picture
To make it happen, we must first identify the locations of significant helium-3 stockpiles and devise efficient methods for mining the gas on the Moon. Even if we can get it back to Earth, we won’t be able to use it to produce renewable energy until we have achieved fusion mastery, which some claim will never happen.
Though it appears, we might be able to realise this ideal of infinite clean energy within the foreseeable future, with so many teams attempting to make both moon mining and usable nuclear fusion a reality. The finding of Change site-(Y) might signal a crucial turning point in that path.
A moon crystal discovered on the Moon’s surface could have infinite energy. A mysterious Moon crystal formed from a hitherto unidentified substance has been found in China. The crystal was found in a collection of lunar samples made by China’s Chang’e-5 mission. In 2020, the mission established communication with the lunar surface. Since then, it has accumulated four pounds’ worth of moon rocks and even transported them to Earth. China claims that the new crystal may allow people to access limitless energy.
