07 December 2020
Guo Hongfeng, a researcher at the National Astronomical Observatories under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said the biggest scientific value in the Chang'e 5 mission lies in the lunar rocks and soil to be brought back by the robotic probe. "Research on lunar samples is one of the most important approaches for us to know about the past, present and future of the Moon, and it also helps a lot when scientists investigate the evolutions of other members of our solar system." Ouyang Ziyuan, a senior adviser to China's lunar program and its former chief scientist, said that if mining the moon for helium-3 and obtaining nuclear power from it becomes a reality, moon resources could be used to generate power for more than 10,000 years. Li Xiongyao, director of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Center for Lunar and Planetary Sciences, said lunar soil also poses a potential hazard to spacecraft and astronauts landed on the moon, so studying its characteristics helps in coming up with precautionary measures and preventing risks.
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