A Chinese lunar probe returns to Earth with the world’s first samples from the far side of the moon
Jun 26, 2024, 6:40 PM | Updated: 7:09 pm
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captured an image of the Giordano Bruno crater on the moon's far side, showcasing the height and sharpness of the rim as well as rolling hills along the crater floor. (NASA, Goddard/Arizona State University via CNN Newsource)
(NASA, Goddard/Arizona State University via CNN Newsource)
BEIJING (AP) — China’s Chang’e 6 probe returned to Earth on Tuesday with rock and soil samples from the little-explored far side of the moon in a global first.
The probe landed in northern China on Tuesday afternoon in the Inner Mongolian region.
Chinese scientists anticipate the returned samples will include 2.5 million-year-old volcanic rock and other material that scientists hope will answer questions about geographic differences on the moon’s two sides.
China’s historic moon mission is just the start of its plans to dominate space https://t.co/V9AbKqZs2u
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While past U.S. and Soviet missions have collected samples from the moon’s near side, the Chinese mission was the first that has collected samples from the far side.
The near side is what is seen from Earth, and the far side faces outer space. The far side is also known to have mountains and impact craters, contrasting with the relatively flat expanses visible on the near side.
The probe left earth on May 3, and its journey lasted 53 days. The probe has drilled into the core and scooped rocks from the surface.
🚨Chinese media published images from the landing module camera of the Chang’e-6 probe, which landed on the far side of the moon.#China #Moon #Video #BreakingNews pic.twitter.com/QuBV2caJFx
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The samples “are expected to answer one of the most fundamental scientific questions in lunar science research: what geologic activity is responsible for the differences between the two sides?” said Zongyu Yue, a geologist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in a statement issued in the Innovation Monday, a journal published in partnership with the Chinese Academcy of Sciences.
China in recent years has launched multiple successful missions to the moon, collecting samples from the moon’s near side with the Chang’e 5 probe previously.
They are also hoping that the probe will return with material that bear traces of meteorite strikes from the moon’s past.
