Lunar soil housed by a container from Jiading
Lunar soil brought back by China's moon mission is on display at the Museum of the Communist Party of China in Beijing. The container for preserving the soil was made by Jiading-based Shanghai Silicon Sword New Materials Technology.
With a length of 22.89 centimeters, width of 22.89 centimeters and height of 17 centimeters, the glass container is round on the top and has a square bottom. From launch to return, Chang'e-5 lunar mission took just 22.89 days.
Chang'e-5's return capsule was back to earth on December 17 of last year, bringing back 1,731 grams of the country's first lunar samples, the world's freshest lunar samples in more than 40 years.
The brand new glass container enables visitors to clearly see details of the lunar soil.
Showcased is the container of the lunar soil made by a Jiading company.
In January, the National Space Administration issued Lunar Sample Management Measures, clarifying that lunar samples are to be used for four purposes – permanent storage, backup for permanent storage, research and charity use.
"As the lunar soil needs to be preserved forever, the stability of the container material is critical, and we devoted a lot of energy into the research and development of the material," said Wang Shudong, company's owner.
After more than 60 days of research, the company produced the state-of-the-art material and is making another container for the China National Museum.
