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Author
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Topic: China Chang'e 5 lunar soil in private hands
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Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 46264
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 05-15-2021 11:52 AM
   
This photo (via MeeGo大乱炖 on Weibo) purports to show a lucite presentation with moon soil (regolith) from China's Chang'e 5 lunar sample return mission. According to "Ace of Razgriz" (via Twitter), who follows Chinese spaceflight: One lucky guy got a sample of the Moon. It seems the team of 5th academy of CALT [China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology] Chang'e project could get one of this. If accurate, then this one lucite represents the largest sample of human-returned moon material in private hands. |
rgarner
Member Posts: 1293
From: Shepperton, United Kingdom
Registered: Mar 2012
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posted 05-15-2021 12:07 PM
Amazing if real. That has been added to my wishlist. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 46264
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 05-15-2021 12:56 PM
I used Google's visual translation app to try to discern what is written in the lucite. It did not work perfectly — I suspect because of the angle of the text in the photo — but the gist was "the journey [or way] to the stars and the sea." |
mode1charlie
Member Posts: 1252
From: Honolulu, HI
Registered: Sep 2010
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posted 05-15-2021 04:19 PM
Color me extremely skeptical. It does not seem like something that the China Space Agency would do. |
SkyMan1958
Member Posts: 1048
From: CA.
Registered: Jan 2011
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posted 05-15-2021 06:14 PM
Bingo!!!Let's just say Chinese counterfeits are well known in a variety of collectible fields. |
tegwilym
Member Posts: 2339
From: Sturgeon Bay, WI
Registered: Jan 2000
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posted 05-16-2021 12:53 PM
Just wait a while, Robert will have one in his collection!  |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 46264
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 05-16-2021 01:25 PM
Hah! I wish, but I don't see that in my future...I can believe the lucite is authentic, but maybe the explanation behind it is incorrect. I could see it being real if the recipient is a high-ranking member of the Chang'e 5 team, similar to how the Soviet Union gifted Luna-retrieved moon dust to Sergei Korolev's widow and a few others. But it does seem to be a large amount of material relative to the total returned and the lack of any reference to Chang'e 5 or the moon (if the translation is correct) is not what I would expect for such a display. |
denali414
Member Posts: 764
From: Raleigh, NC
Registered: Aug 2017
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posted 05-17-2021 06:36 AM
Just for curiosity sake, what would be the estimate worth of that much regolith on the open market if real? I know it would be a huge number. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 46264
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 05-17-2021 09:18 AM
There is no direct precedent, so there is no way to accurately tell. The closest comparison would be $855,000 paid for the 0.2 grams of Luna 16-retrieved moon dust sold by Sotheby's in 2018 (which comes out to $4.3 million per gram).But it is not a direct one-to-one comparison. There are numerous factors to consider, including that sentiments surrounding the Chang'e 5 mission are different. |
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