On the afternoon of March 3, 2020, the Planetary Science Research Group, Institute of Space Sciences, Shandong University held an online video working meeting to deploy the new semester work plan and research tasks. Prof, Zongcheng Ling, the Principal Investigator (PI), presided over the meeting, all teachers and graduate students of the research group attended the meeting.

During the meeting, Zongcheng Ling conveyed the latest instructions on epidemic prevention and control in the school, reminding everyone to pay close attention to the control of epidemic situation and personal self-protection safety, and arranged various learning and scientific research works in the new semester on this basis. Through in-depth discussion of the members of the research group, the main work in 2020 is further clarified: (1) in view of the strategic needs of the national deep space exploration development, around the key fund projects of China’s first Mars exploration, chang’e-4 and chang’e-5 missions, the research group of key projects is set up to carry out relevant research work in a solid manner, and strive for “more achievements and faster output”, we hope to make great contributions to the major tasks of the nation; (2) aiming at the national major space exploration plan in the future, we should strive for and layout a number of planetary exploration payloads, make full use of the conditions such as the planetary load laboratory, the Lunar Sample Laboratory and the planetary environment simulation laboratory supported by the Research Institute, and further clarify the time nodes of laboratory construction and payload research and development projects, so as to prepare for the following major national projects; (3) do a good job in the application and conclusion of existing scientific research projects of the research group, strengthen international academic exchanges and international training of graduate students, standardize the exchange system of research group meeting, and strengthen laboratory safety management.

Shandong University is one of the earliest universities to carry out Planetary Science in China. Since 2007, Shandong University and Washington University in St. Louis have jointly established the direction of planetary science and successfully applied for the sub center of planetary spectrum and space weather of the Joint Research Center for deep space exploration of the Ministry of education. Focusing on China’s deep space exploration mission, the planetary science research group will take planetary remote sensing data interpretation, planetary sample laboratory analysis, research and development of planetary detection photoelectric payload, and planetary data system development as the main research directions, to open up the whole chain of planetary science and deep space exploration research of “detection load data/sample scientific research”, so as to realize the improvement of independent original innovation ability and promote the output of major scientific research achievements contributes to the development of planetary science and the construction of a powerful country in deep space exploration and space.

At present, there are more than 20 teaching staff and graduate students in the planetary science research group. They have undertaken more than 30 key and general projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, basic work projects of the Ministry of science and technology, and civil aerospace projects of the State Administration of science and technology. They have deeply participated in the demonstration and data analysis of national lunar and deep space exploration missions, and formed their own research characteristics in planetary material science research, which is an important part of the first-level climbing group of “Solar Eruptions and Their Impact on Planetary Space Environment” and the “Space Science and Technology” academic summit program of Shandong University. Young students who are interested in research in the direction of planetary science are welcome to join the research group. For details, please refer to the website of the research group http://pds.wh.sdu.edu.cn/.