Moon Chang'e Stone Discovery

Moon sample display microscope photos. Figures of the National Space Administration, National Atomic Energy Agency, and China Nuclear Group Nuclear Research Institute

On September 9th, No. 8 Fucheng Road A, Beijing, the National Space Administration and the National Atomic Energy Agency.

One day, it is the Mid -Autumn Festival. Here is the first time that Chinese scientists have discovered new minerals on the moon and named it "Chang'e Stone". After the news was released, many netizens called it "Mid -Autumn Festival gift from the moon".

This is the first new Moon Mineral Minerals discovered in my country, and it is also the sixth monthly new minerals found in the world. Its discovery has changed the history of lunar mineral exploration in my country, making my country the third country in the world to discover new lunar minerals.

On the same day, the 58 -year -old China Nuclear Group Nuclear Industry Beijing Institute of Geological Research (hereinafter referred to as the Geoscience Institute) lunar research team led Li Ziying at the press conference to hide the excitement, that is, he led the team for more than a year. I found this new lunar mineral.

In an interview with a reporter, Li Ziying's eyes flashed and excited like a child. He said, "Look, there is really 'Chang'e' in the moon. We Chinese people's beautiful myths, with our own wisdom and hard work Become a reality. "

Lunar sample Lushan is true. Figures of the National Space Administration, National Atomic Energy Agency, and China Nuclear Group Nuclear Research Institute

Open, a world of "rice"

The night is already very strong.

Sit in front of the table, stare at the microscope, use a slender nanometer sampling needle, and repeatedly try to strip a particle less than 0.000001 mg ... This action has lasted for more than two hours. At this moment, the researcher Li Li Li Ting's body was stiff and his eyes were swollen. But she didn't want to give up. This "small thing" that might not see in a microscope was too precious.

She was called "small things".

On December 17, 2020, Chang'e 5 carried 1731 grams of moon samples to the earth. For the application of the moon sample, the competition was extremely fierce. A total of 23 applications from 23 colleges and scientific research institutes passed the preliminary examination. After on -site defense, only 31 applications for 13 units applied for review, with a pass rate of only 36.5%.

On July 12, 2021, the first batch of 50 mg of Monthly arrived in the local research institute.

Huang Zhixin remembers this day. The first batch of lunar samples in the prefecture research institute told reporters, "Of these 50 mg, the agreement we signed stipulates that it can only lose 20 mg."

What is 20 mg?

"It is about 1 large rice grain." Li Ting, who had been used to working under the laboratory microscope, frankly said: "The moon soil is extremely precious.

The sample process is the "most exciting and most intense" link in Yueyang research. It is no exaggeration to say that it is a "trembling hand" with a "excited heart".

Sample is performed in the super -net room. The two entered the operation together and needed to wear dedicated experiments and gloves. The whole process was monitored by the camera. Before turning on the sample, the team formulated an experimental plan, including the sampling steps, the amount of samples taken out, how many sharing, how much each portion, how to pack for different experiments, how to transfer, and so on.

In this monthly research, Li Ting was responsible for selecting thousands of tiny particles and classification according to experimental design. "The balance of use is a million -level balance, which can accurately reach 0.001 mg. The most difficult thing is to call a number of 0.1 mg samples -a mung bean is about 80 mg, which is equivalent to taking 1/800 mung beans, A little shaking his hand, "Li Ting said.

She told reporters that such a few samples must be accurate at one time. Each time I was weighing, I was attentive, staring at the almost invisible "small black dots" in the sample spoon, weighing again and again, it is estimated that it can not be poured into the sample groove. Each empty sample slot is called three times, and then weighs it three times to ensure accurate weighing.

"Usually when we choose Earth samples, we can apply Vaselin and other sticky substances to the needle to dip the sample on the needle, and then transfer it to other places steadily. It can only be used by the friction between the needle tip and the granules. A little electrostatic attached samples are often pushed back and forth on the glass tablet with the needle tip. It can't take it. At this time, it is desperate and collapsed. "Li Ting said.

You can only take a deep breath, stabilize the collapse emotions and stiff shoulders, and try again and again. Among these particles, the small insufficient hair diameter is 1/100, and there is a large hair thickness.

After more than two months of failure and these samples for more than two months, the "small thing" was finally captured by Li Ting's hands -the new mineral sampling was successful!

Repeated operation allows Li Ting's understanding of the moon soil sample. When facing the large amount of data obtained by this batch of sample analysis, this careful girl has a major discovery: "There is a kind of calcium phosphate mineral, which contains it contains it contains The number of rare earth elements is much higher than the number of mineral structures we met in the past, which means that this is a new mineral other than we know. "

But where is it? This kind of mineral is too small and too small. In this batch of samples, a better particle can allow the scientific research team to decipher its structure.

The work scenario of the scientific research team. Photo Conferry Conferry of Nuclear Nuclear Research Institute of China Nuclear Group

Breaking, one possibility of one in 140,000

On Saturday in the winter of 2021, the entire office building was empty.

"The sound of quietness and panting is clearly heard." The 8 hours of the eight hours of careful spending in the laboratory made Zhong Jun still remember. At that moment, the moon team of the Institute of Research Institute successfully separated a micron -level mineral, laying the foundation for their new discoveries. Scan the electron microscopy repeatedly confirming and accurately locate the need to separate and cut minerals. The high -energy focusing ion beam is obliquely cut from the surroundings of the minerals. Tungsten needles that are thinner than hair shots, focus on ion beams and tungsten needles, welded with platinum steam to the separated target mineral, and the collected target minerals were taken out of the instrument cabin, put in a special sample custody, "Capsule", bring it to the laboratory that is carried out in the next step to develop crystal structure ...

Through the research on the first batch of monthly scientific research samples, the team discovered the trace of new minerals and measured the chemical composition of the mineral. However, because the new mineral particles were too small and too little, they could not obtain the ideal crystal structure parameters of the new minerals. It is necessary to use the new moon soil sample to further find eligible large particle specimens in order to comprehensively confirm it.

As a "takeover person", Zhong Jun repeatedly selected the most suitable moon samples to be applied around the theme of nuclear energy uranium fission elements. He read a lot of literature and repeatedly discussed with team members, and continuously optimized and improved borrowing applications and reporting materials.

In the end, their materials stood out from more than 240 applications, and successfully borrowed 1 monthly light film sample.

Zhong Jun recalled that as soon as the light film was obtained, the scientific research team immediately adopted the original micro -zone test analysis method to conduct mineral standard research. First of all, all minerals of the entire sample were scanned quickly. In the granules, a successful "grab" a few of the diameter of only one -tenth of the hair of the hair.

"If you want to verify the existence of new minerals, you need to cut these particles to accurately interpret the crystal structure of mineral single crystals. The relatively large and planes are pure, which is suitable for our potential goals that we do deconstruction. There are only 3 capsules for minerals, which are extremely small. "Zhong Jun said.

In the end, the only particles that can be used for subsequent verification.

The mineral research team brought by Li Ting used the single crystal X -ray diffraction instrument to the potential new minerals to carry out subsequent fine structure interpretation and determined this new mineral.

This is not the first new mineral found in geological analysis in geological analysis. In the past three years, Li Ting's team has successively led and participated in the discovery of five new Earth new minerals.

Each type of mineral sample is allocated under the microscope by such a fair and slender hand ... Some colleagues said that only Li Ting himself knows that it is tired in the classification of more than two months of monthly soil samples to the classification of more than two months. The pain of the scapula is deducted; sitting in the laboratory, there are only long time in the world that there is only a long diameter of the microscope in the microscope ...

At the moment of the achievements of the starry stars, behind the years is unknown.

Tracking the source, scientific exploration of infinite curiosity behind

What made them seize one of the 140,000 chances?

Diligence, unity, intention, and focus ... 22 members of the team have their own answers. However, all these answers are together, which is exactly the phrase "the opportunity is only left for those who are prepared."

In November 2020, under the leadership of Li Ziying, the Moon Research Team of the Earth Research Institute after countless research and discussions determined the main research direction with nuclear energy fission and fusion elements of the moon. Subsequently, the Earth Research Institute formed a lunar sample analysis detection laboratory.

"Improve the management system of moon sample applications, build a clean room for the storage and processing of moon samples, and simulate the drill of samples. These three tasks have been prepared from that moment." Guo Dongfa, director of the Institute of Analysis and Test Institute of the Institute of Research, said.

In fact, the gain of any major scientific research results cannot come from the temporary buddha's feet. Guo Dongfa for example: "For example, the cleaning room of the moon sample is originally a clean room specifically reserved for special samples, and the environment has been kept clean and tidy for a long time -this 'net room' has become an important place for us to carry out moon soil research. ","

Frontier basic science is the driving force for promoting the progress of human civilization. Once basic research is produced, it is likely to be disruptive and revolutionary. Moon sample research is a typical cutting -edge basic scientific research that can promote and drive a series of related scientific and technological progress.

"This is a very long and twisted road. Regardless of funding, time, and energy, all investment must be limited, and the only infinite is the curiosity of scientists." In Li Ziying's eyes, look at the achievements at this moment, absolutely absolutely It is not limited to what you do after getting the moon soil. It has been closely related to more unknown innovation practices for more than half a century for more than half a century.

"New minerals have been approved, but the name is not passed."

At the end of June this year, when Li Ziying told the team members, everyone's hearts fell sharply.

"Chang'e Stone" is the name carefully selected by this team. The corresponding English name "Changeite" was rejected because the mineral "Changoite" was previously discovered. If the name fails, it means that this result cannot be released for the time being.

"It's just a name, change it, and change it according to international practice to named after the celebrity or the material structure of my country's geological field. Chang'e? Foreigners can't understand it at all." Many people suggest to Li Ziying. Li Ziying never answered.

The name "Changeite" and "Changeite" was scratched on the paper again and again every day.

"I never want to change the name of Chang'estone. I want to tell the world to listen to the beautiful legends that pin the spirit of Chinese aerospace detection. It must be moving. Name. "Li Ziying said.

After a little modification, the name "Changesite" was submitted with richer connotation.

"First of all, this is the first lunar sample that commemorates the Chang'e project in my country; then, it clarifies the place of living (SITE) of the Chinese traditional myth" Chang'e ", that is, the moon; it also shows the minerals. Take from the landing point of Chang'e 5; in the end, 's' is both the first letter of Chinese 'Stone-SHI' and the beginning of English 'Stone-Stone'. Understand. "Li Ziying said.

The team submitted the new English name.

After waiting for more than a month, the mineral was approved by the International Mineral Association's new mineral naming and classification committee. The ultimate name was "Chang'e Stone", and English Changesite- (Y).

Since then, there is a Chang'e stone on the moon.

Source: China Youth Daily

Reporter: Qiu Chenhui

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