CHina Archives

The Tibetan Plateau is a region of stunning beauty, and as this true-color Terra MODIS image from December 14, 2002, shows, is graced with hundreds of lakes that sparkle like emeralds and sapphires against the delicate tan and peach colors of the land. The plateau´s elevation averages 4,880 meters (16,010 feet) above sea level, and is bounded by mountain ranges to the north—the Kunlun—and the south—the Himalayas. Four of the largest Asian rivers originate in Tibet: the Chang (Yangtze), the Mekong, the Thanlwin, and the Brahmaputra. larger image -- NASA

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release

Microscopic Life Inhabiting Glacial Habitats On The Tibetan Plateau

by Keith CowingJune 10, 2025June 10, 2025

Glaciers are important regulators of the Earth’s climate system, affecting the hydrological cycle, energy balance and the development of downstream ecosystems. Other than the polar regions, the Tibetan Plateau stands […]

Panoramic view of the Chang’e-5 landing site. Credit: CNSA/CLEP

Analog Studies, Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Impact events, Interstellar, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Meteorites & Asteroids, Moon, Status Report

Polycyclic Aromatics In The Chang’E 5 Lunar Soils

by Keith CowingMay 4, 2025May 4, 2025

Polycyclic aromatics are ubiquitous in the interstellar medium and meteorites, yet the search for lunar polycyclic aromatics remains a significant challenge.

The Apollo (prefix A), Luna (prefix L), and Chang’e-5 (CE5) missions collected samples in and around the Procellarum KREEP Terrane which exhibits notably higher thorium (Th) than the Feldspathic Highlands and the SPA Basin. The Chang’e-6 (CE6) mission returned the first lunar samples from the lunar farside from the SPA Basin. The terrane boundaries are from ref. 5 and the Th base map is adapted from ref. 45. The sizes of the circles are scaled to the estimated maximum water abundance1,9,33 in the mantle source beneath the sampling sites. -- Nature

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Moon, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report

Water Abundance In The Mantle Of The Moon’s Farside

by Keith CowingApril 15, 2025April 15, 2025

The water contents of the lunar interior record important clues for understanding the formation and subsequent thermochemical evolution of the Moon.

Schematic illustration of the distribution of sampling sites. The sampling sites for the SZ-12, SZ-13, and SZ-14 flights are labeled as follows: red dots for SZ-12 (with red pentagrams indicating the sampling sites in the condensate region), blue dots for SZ-13, and green dots for SZ-14 - Microbiome via PubMed

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Life Support Systems, Microbiology & Virology, Microgravity, Space Life Science, Space Physiology & Medicine, Space Stations, Status Report

On-orbit Microbial Succession Patterns Of The China Space Station During The Construction Period

by Keith CowingMarch 17, 2025March 18, 2025

Background: The China Space Station (CSS) modules feature many areas that are difficult to clean and thus susceptible to microbial outbreaks. A new sampling method utilizing an equivalent material sheet […]

Astronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Intelligence & Language, Interstellar, SETI & Technosignatures, Status Report

Multibeam SETI Observations Toward Nearby M Dwarfs With FAST

by Keith CowingMarch 5, 2025March 5, 2025

The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) targeted searches aim to observe specific areas and objects to find possible technosignatures. Many SETI researches have focused on nearby stars and their planets […]

A hypothetical picture of Mars 3.6 billion years ago, when an ocean may have covered nearly half the planet. The blue areas show the depth of the ocean filled to the shoreline level of the ancient, now-gone sea, dubbed Deuteronilus. The orange star represents the landing site of the Chinese rover Zhurong. The yellow star is the site of NASA's Perseverance rover, which landed a few months before Zhurong. Credit Robert Citron

Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Ancient Beaches Testify To A Long-ago Ocean On Mars

by Keith CowingMarch 3, 2025March 3, 2025

A Chinese rover that landed on Mars in 2021 detected evidence of underground beach deposits in an area thought to have once been the site of an ancient sea, providing […]

The Chinese Space Station Telescope (CSST) - CNSA/Xinhua

Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

Chinese Space Station Telescope: Detecting Exomoons in Free-Floating-Planet Events from Space-based Microlensing Surveys

by Keith CowingJanuary 9, 2025January 9, 2025

When a planet is ejected from its star-planet system due to dynamical interactions, its satellite may remain gravitationally bound to the planet.

Biophysics, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Exploration Gear & Tech, Habitable Zones, Life Support Systems, Microbiology & Virology, Microgravity, Missions & Hardware, Plant Biology, Radiation, Space Agriculture, Space Life Science, Space Physiology & Medicine, Space Stations, Status Report

China Exoplanet Habitability and Ecosystem Space Experiment

by Keith CowingSeptember 27, 2024September 27, 2024

The experiment of exo-ecosystem and the exploration of extraterrestrial habitability aims to explore the adaptation of terrestrial life in space conditions for the manned space program and the future interstellar […]

Drilling on the plateau of Guliya Glacier in western China, at 6,200 m ASL elevation. Credit: Lonnie Thompson.

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release

Viral Secrets From Glacial Ice Reveal Climate Adaptations

by Keith CowingSeptember 6, 2024September 6, 2024

Researchers at The Ohio State University have made a significant discovery in understanding how viruses preserved in glacial ice have adapted to Earth’s climatic changes.