Academician Ouyang Ziyuan: The moon is already "dead", why do we still need to explore it?

Have you ever thought about this question: Will a planet die? Will a planet explode after it dies? Take the moon that revolves around the earth for example. Is the moon dead? Will it die? Will the moon explode after it dies and affect the earth?

Today we will introduce Academician Ouyang Ziyuan’s views on this issue.

01

Is the Moon "Dead"?

The moon is like a person's life. It goes through birth, infancy, adolescence, middle-aged and old age, and eventually aging and death. "Death" here means that the energy inside the moon has been exhausted and it has no vitality. However, it still rotates and revolves around the earth.

Copyright image, no permission to reprint

So when did the moon "die"? Previously, the scientific community believed that the moon died 3 billion years ago, but the latest research shows that the moon was still "alive" 2 billion years ago. This conclusion is inseparable from our lunar exploration project's exploration of the back of the moon.

On the far side of the moon, there is a huge basin with a diameter of 2,480 kilometers, the Von Karman crater, which was left after the moon was hit 4 billion years ago. However, due to tidal locking, we have never seen the true appearance of the far side of the moon with our own eyes. Chang'e 4 and Chang'e 5 have made unprecedented progress in our exploration of the far side of the moon.

Chang'e 4 landing site, Von Karman Crater (blue-purple area)

In December 2018, the Chang'e-4 lander and the Yutu-2 lunar rover were launched by the Long March 3B Improved III launch vehicle (Y30) to the Von Karman crater on the far side of the moon. This was the first time that humans have achieved a soft landing and patrol survey on the far side of the moon, as well as the first time that humans have landed at a high-latitude polar region on the moon and the first time that humans have achieved relay communication between the far side of the moon and the earth. However, this time Chang'e-4 did not have the ability to collect soil or rock samples for return research.

However, in just two years, Chang'e 5 flew to the moon and successfully completed a series of tasks including landing on the moon, collecting samples, and returning to Earth. Chang'e 5 brought back about 1,721 grams of lunar samples. Through the study of these samples, it was found that there were volcanic eruptions on the moon 2 billion years ago, which successfully postponed the death age of the moon by 1 billion years. This was a huge success.

Soil samples preserved by the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

02

The moon is dead,

Why go to the moon?

The moon has been dead for 2 billion years, so why do we still go to the moon? What can we do on the moon in the future?

1. Build an experimental base

In the subsequent lunar exploration project, our mission is to establish a lunar scientific research station, then conduct manned lunar landing, and finally build a lunar base. In 2030, we will basically complete the unmanned lunar exploration project, and then establish a scientific research station on the moon. This scientific research station will be completed between 2035 and 2045, realizing long-term human presence on the moon, and will carry out relatively comprehensive and large-scale scientific exploration, technical experiments, development of lunar resources and utilization of the lunar environment.

Copyright image, no permission to reprint

2. Resource development

The moon is rich in resources, such as rare earths, iron, titanium, etc., but because the cost of mining on the moon is too high, scientists do not focus on these mineral resources, but instead focus on the moon's solar energy and helium-3 resources.

The moon has no atmosphere, a harsh environment, and abundant solar energy resources. According to statistics, the amount of solar radiation that reaches the moon each year is equivalent to 25,000 times the energy consumed by the earth each year. If only a small amount of solar energy can be transmitted from the moon to the earth, we can say goodbye to fossil energy and truly achieve clean energy.

Copyright image, no permission to reprint

In addition to solar energy, the moon also has abundant helium-3 resources. On the moon without an atmosphere and magnetic field, helium-3 generated by the fusion of protium and deuterium nuclei in the solar wind can easily be ejected onto the lunar surface soil. Through measurements, there are a total of 1.03 million to 1.29 million tons of helium-3 in the lunar soil. If this helium-3 is used as a nuclear fusion raw material for nuclear fusion power generation, it can meet the energy needs of human society for the next 10,000 years.

3. A transit station for interplanetary exploration

The moon also has a very important role, which is to turn the moon into a transit station for Mars or deep space exploration. As you may know, the moon's gravity is very small, only one-sixth of the earth's, so the energy consumed by launching a rocket on the moon is much lower than on the earth. Now the United States has launched the Artemis program and is preparing to build a lunar space station, so that the moon will become a transit station in the future.

Deep space exploration is the commanding height of scientific and technological competition, and we must seize this opportunity. At present, we have a more detailed plan. In the future, we will explore Jupiter's 80 satellites and Saturn's 83 satellites, which may have life. Let us explore the solar system step by step and advance towards the sea of ​​stars in the solar system. I hope that our classmates and young children must lay a solid foundation, be confident, independent, and self-reliant to realize their dreams, and build our country into a great socialist power!

This article is based on a speech by Ouyang Ziyuan (Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the first chief scientist of China's lunar exploration project, and the 2016-2020 Science Popularization China Ambassador) at the Star Forum.

The cover image and the images in this article are from the copyright library

Reproduction of image content is not authorized