Vapor-deposited digenite in Chang'e-5 lunar soil.

Frequent impacts on the Moon have changed the physical and chemical properties of the lunar regolith, with new materials deposited from the impact-induced vapor phase. Here, we combined nanoscale chemical and structural analysis to identify the mineral digenite (4CuS·CuS) in Chang'e-5 lunar soil. This is the first report of digenite in a lunar sample.

Layered subsurface in Utopia Basin of Mars revealed by Zhurong rover radar.

Exploring the subsurface structure and stratification of Mars advances our understanding of Martian geology, hydrological evolution and palaeoclimatic changes, and has been a main task for past and continuing Mars exploration missions. Utopia Planitia, the smooth plains of volcanic and sedimentary strata that infilled the Utopia impact crater, has been a prime target for such exploration as it is inferred to have hosted an ancient ocean on Mars. However, 45 years have passed since Viking-2 provided ground-based detection results.

The Global Search for Liquid Water on Mars from Orbit: Current and Future Perspectives.

Due to its significance in astrobiology, assessing the amount and state of liquid water present on Mars today has become one of the drivers of its exploration. Subglacial water was identified by the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) aboard the European Space Agency spacecraft Mars Express through the analysis of echoes, coming from a depth of about 1.5 km, which were stronger than surface echoes.

Photometric correction and reflectance calculation for lunar images from the Chang'E-1 CCD stereo camera.

Photometric correction and reflectance calculation are two important processes in the scientific analysis and application of Chang'E-1 (CE-1) charge-coupled device (CCD) stereo camera data. In this paper, the methods of photometric correction and reflectance calculation were developed. On the one hand, in considering the specificity of datasets acquired by the CE-1 CCD stereo camera, photometric correction was conducted based on the digital number value directly using the revised Lommel-Seeliger factor.

Potassium map from Chang'E-2 constraints the impact of Crisium and Orientale basin on the Moon.

KREEP materials were thought to be last crystallized at the lunar crust and mantle boundary. Impact cratering and volcanism are mainly responsible for their distributions on the lunar surface. Therefore, observation of global KREEP materials and investigation of distributions in the areas of large basins are of critical importance to understand the geologic history of the Moon.