As reported by Ukrinform, China Daily reported this.

Knowing the chemistry of the lunar surface is important for determining petrological characteristics and understanding the evolution of the Earth’s satellite.

Current chemical mapping, based on lunar samples collected by the American Apollo and Soviet Moon missions, could only reveal the early evolution of the moon 3 billion years ago, missing the critical late period.

But the lunar samples obtained by the Chinese mission “Chang’e 5” (Chang’e 5) contain information about young volcanic activity about 2 billion years ago and the characteristic chemical composition of the material.

Photo: “Xinhua”

By combining data from Chang’e 5, Apollo and Luna with an inversion model based on in-depth study, the research team precisely determined the content of major elements on the lunar surface.

They then created a new map of the chemical composition distribution of the lunar surface with high accuracy and high resolution, which comprehensively reflects the chemical properties of the lunar surface.

The researchers also calibrated the younger basalt units against newly calculated element abundances; This will provide reliable data for historical studies of magmatic activity and thermal evolution in the late lunar period and for future lunar sample collection missions.

The research was jointly conducted by Jilin University (northeast China), the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the University of Trento in Italy, the University of Iceland and other Chinese and foreign research institutions.

According to Ukrinform, the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expressed their intention to expand cooperation in the peaceful use and exploration of outer space.