China discovers rare lunar crystal and nuclear power source on near side of the moon

A new type of crystal nestled among the volcanic debris of the near side of the moon, as well as a potential fuel source that could helprevolutionizing the production of clean and efficient energy on Earth, has been discovered by researchers in China.

According to a Chinese state-run news site, the crystal is more than a billion years old and is as wide as a human hair. The moon crystal has never been seen before and is related to other minerals found only on the moon or in meteorites.

A new mineral, Changesite-(Y), was discovered from the moon samples retrieved by #China's Chang'e-5 probe, making China the third country to discover a new mineral on moon, China Atomic Energy Authority said on Friday. pic.twitter.com/gieIWN8SMgSeptember 9, 2022

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The crystal was collected during the Chang'e-5 mission, which was named for the moon goddess. The first lunar samples to be taken to Earth since 1976 and the first lunar samples ever collected by China were among the rocks. The Changesite-(Y) crystal is the sixth new mineral to be identified on the moon and the first to be identified by China.

There were other remarkable finds in the Chang'e-5 moon rock haul. Scientists found trace amounts of a rare element on the moon, which is believed to be abundant.

The rusty moon is probably the fault of the planet.

Nuclear fusion is a type of energy production that occurs when two light atoms combine into a heavier one under extreme heat and pressure. Humans have yet to come up with a fusion reactor that can create more energy than was put into it.

The European Space Agency says that helium-3 is a promising fuel source for fusion because it produces less radiation and nuclear waste than other elements. The element is abundant on the moon, where it has been deposited directly onto the soil for billions of years by solar wind, according to the European Space Agency.

Even though there is no viable reactor to put it in, the lunar resources race is still going strong. The U.S. and China are both interested in mining the moon for helium. The global race to plunder the moon's mineral resources could intensify after Chang'e-5 discovered a new deposit.

It was originally published on Live Science