KFU scientist, 'We stand on the cusp of the discovery of a new Moon'
Alexander Gusev, Vice-Director on international relations of the Engelhardt Astronomical Observatory (EAO), will participate in the 40th COSPAR Scientific Assembly on the Russian-Chinese delegation. He told the KFU press centre about new joint results on the Chang'e 3 Chinese moon project.
On 20 July 1969 American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin were the first to step on the Moon. Forty-five years after that milestone space exploration event, Earth's natural satellite is still the focus of scientists' attention.
Last December a Chinese spacecraft brought a moon rover "Yutu" (Jade Rabbit) to the Rainbow Moon Bay crater. The mission of the moon rover is to explore the Moon's surface, its geologic structure and existing substances.
It is the first results of the Moon's surface observations Alexander Gusev, the leading research associate of the Department of Geophysics, KFU Institute of Geology and Petroleum Technologies, will report about, together with his Chinese colleagues at the Scientific Assembly of the International Committee on Space Research.
Dr Gusev has explained what the Chinese "rabbit" has in common with the Kazan University and what the scientific community should expect from the observed on the Moon.
He began the story with a significant event in the field of space exploration - the Scientific Assembly of the International Committee on Space Research that will gather over two thousand experts in Moscow.
COSPAR Assembly*** is the most substantial conference in the space science. It is a kind of an indicator of the existing space knowledge as almost all directions of space exploration are discussed here.
I am participating in the scientific part of the Assembly and present two reports on the moon exploration, Alexander Gusev shares his plans.
He explained why it was a Chinese moon rover that followed the Soviet Lunokhod-2 that finished its mission on 11 May 1973.
- The Chinese moon research program for the XXI century is well planned, well financed, provided with qualified scientific and technical personnel, and equipped with high technology facilities. Besides, it is well managed by the integrated staff of Chinese leaders, thorough and insistent in the implementation of made decisions.
Alexander Gusev regrets that only few people know that "Yutu" (Jade Rabbit) moon rover designed in China is closely connected with the moon researching plans of the Kazan University. The cooperation of KFU and the National Astronomy Observatory of China (Beijing) started five years ago and was officially formalized by signing a certain memorandum on 7 May 2014.
- By this agreement, professors Tang and Ping implement the observation for the radio beacons of the Chinese "rabbit" with the help of modern radio telescopes in China, Alexander Gusev says, As an invited professor, and a member of this team, I am responsible for selenium dynamic and selenium physical interpretation of this observation data. The key goal of the approved research program is to study the peculiarities of the Moon's rotation and librations in order to prove the existence of a 300-400 km hot liquid core, to discover its geochemistry and thermodynamics, and to explain Moon's great inner heat flow, three times less than that of the Earth. And it is fantastic for such a small body considered cold and geologically lifeless for about several billion years. Now it is clear that it is not true! We stand on the cusp of the discovery of a new moon and significant opportunities for its profound research, scientific and commercial development for the coming decades!
The received information encouraged researchers with its quantity and precision. However, the first official publications will appear in 6-12 months.
- Moon radio beacons observation program is planned for one year. But the preliminary results of the Chan'e 3 Chinese moon project will be announced at the 40th COSPAR Scientific Assembly, held in Moscow on August 2-10. But it is a secret what they will be about.
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COSPAR is the International Committee on Space Research, founded in 1958 to assist world scientists in exchanging information received from space crafts and stations. COSPAR Scientific Assembly has been organized since 1960, In 1970 Leningrad hosted the Assembly. The 40th COSPAR Scientific Assembly is held in Moscow at support of the Presidential Administration of Russia, Federal Space Agency, Ministry of Education and Science of Russia, Russian Academy of Science, Moscow Administration. The CEO of the Organizing Committee is Arkady Dvorkovich, the Chair of the Russian Government.
Alexander Gusev
Vice-Director on international relations of the Engelhardt Astronomical Observatory (EAO)
Assistant Professor in "Planet Research";
Invited Professor, NAOJ, Mizusawa, Japan (2004-2005) and NAOC CAS, Beijing, China (2014-2015);
Full member of International Committee on Space Research (COSPAR), Germany (1994);
Member of International Astronomical Union IAU, France (1997);
Vice-President of Kazan Regional Department of Tsiolkovsky Space Academy of Russia (2013);
KFU Coordinator of Russia-China (2010-2019) and Russia-Japan (2008-2018) agreements between NAOC CAS(China), NAOJ (Japan) and Kazan University about scientific and technical cooperation in moon and primary planets research;
Supervisor and responsible for international Russian-Japanese and Russian-Chinese fellowships JSPS-NNSF-RFFR in space research (2007-2015).
