The first international loan review meeting of lunar samples for the Chang'e-5 mission will be held on April 26 at the Nanwangshan Campus of China University of Geosciences (Wuhan). According to the website of the China National Space Administration, 10 scientists from around the world will present their research plans on lunar samples, including five scientists from the United States.
Each applicant will be given 15 minutes to present their presentation and be asked questions by the judges. CNSAA encourages applicants to do in-person demonstrations and online video demonstrations if there is any uncertainty or inability to be present in person.
Russia's Sputnik news agency reported on April 11 that if the application of American scientists is approved, it will become a rare case of high-level space cooperation between China and the United States. Because under the so-called "Wolf Clause," NASA-funded scientists are not allowed to work with China unless approved by Congress.
Beijing Institute of Technology applied to accept some samples brought back by Chang'e-5 Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhao Xu (the same below)
According to the agenda released by the China National Space Administration, a total of five applicants from the United States participated in the review meeting, including Ryan Zeigler, curator of samples for NASA's Apollo mission, Stephen Parman, a planetary scientist at Brown University, Timothy Glotch from Stony Brook University, and Stephen Sutton from the University of Chicago Sutton) and Michelle Thompson of Purdue University.
According to a report by the South China Morning Post on the 10th, five participants from the United States have all received research grants from NASA, and some of them have even presided over multimillion-dollar scientific research projects funded by NASA.
An internal NASA email said, "The Chang'e-5 samples, which are from areas of the moon that have not yet been sampled by NASA, are expected to provide valuable new scientific insights into the Moon's geological history."
NASA said that "applying for a sample will ensure that U.S. researchers have the same research opportunities as scientists around the world," adding that it has "demonstrated its intent to the U.S. Congress."
NASA also said that the approval of the application for Chang'e-5 lunar samples was a special case and that "the ban on bilateral cooperation with China on NASA-funded projects remains in effect."
On December 17, 2020, the Chang'e-5 returner carried lunar samples and landed safely in the predetermined area of Siziwang Banner in Inner Mongolia. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Ren Junchuan
Chang'e-5 carried out China's first unmanned lunar sample return mission, bringing back a total of 1,731 grams of lunar samples, making it the world's largest unmanned lunar sampling mission in a single sample. Since 2021, the China National Space Administration has organized six rounds of Chang'e-5 sample applications, distributing more than 250 samples with a total weight of 77.68 grams to research institutions and universities in China.
In October last year, at the 74th International Astronautical Congress held in Baku, Azerbaijan, China's Chang'e-5 team was awarded the "Laureus Team Award". Hu Hao, chief designer of Chang'e-5, as a representative of the team, announced that the scientific research samples of Chang'e-5 will soon be open to international applications, and scientists from all over the world are welcome to work together and share the results.
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