A collaborative team of Chinese and French researchers has successfully completed a mission to measure radon gas and polonium on the moon, utilizing the French payload aboard China's Chang'e-6 lunar probe. This milestone marks a significant achievement in international space research.
The French payload, known as Detection of Outgassing RadoN (DORN), is engineered to measure both radon gas and its decay products on the lunar surface, as well as charged particles in the surrounding space environment. These measurements are crucial for understanding the moon's atmospheric origins, the thermal and physical properties of lunar soil, and the movement of surface dust.
He Huaiyu, co-chief scientist of the DORN project from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics (IGG) at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, highlighted that the Chang'e-6 radon-gas detector was exposed to Earth's atmosphere for several months prior to launch. The equipment was first activated on May 6 during the lunar-orbit cruise phase, approximately 320,000 kilometers from Earth. Over the course of about 10 hours, DORN successfully measured the background noise of the space environment and natural pollution on the lunar surface.
This successful mission not only strengthens the scientific collaboration between China and France but also enhances our understanding of the moon's environment, paving the way for future explorations and research initiatives.
Reference(s):
Chinese, French researchers complete lunar radon-gas detection mission
cgtn.com
