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The Carl Sagan Medal for Excellence in Public Communication in Planetary Science Zheng won in 2016.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Onward to Mars

Zheng also got the nickname of "Uncle Mars" for his many lectures and books that spread planetary science among the young and the general public.

He was awarded the Carl Sagan Medal for Excellence in Public Communication in Planetary Science in 2016, which honored his "efforts that have significantly contributed to a public understanding of, and enthusiasm for, planetary science".

Actually he is the first Chinese scientist to win that award since it was established in 1998.

"The medal means recognition and more, to me. It signals that China's progress in space probes and research has got world attention," Zheng says.

Zheng was born in a village near Shaoxing, Zhejiang province, in 1977. In the past 15 years, he has been focusing on lunar and planetary geology, and studied lunar soil. He was also heavily involved in the Chang'e-1 and Chang'e-2 missions.

Being part of the research team who constructed the world's first global lunar microwave map, he has been telling incredible stories to science lovers since 2004.

"I write science books and make speeches because I simply feel I need to, for the country's future development, and I'm able to," Zheng says. "I really enjoyed those works, and they were never a burden to me.

"And by sharing what I've learned and been through, I gained new knowledge and experiences, too."