News Excerpt:
China has made a groundbreaking achievement by becoming the first country to gather samples from the far side of the moon and return them to Earth.
Mission Details and Achievements:
- A re-entry capsule containing the lunar samples parachuted into a landing zone in the rural Siziwang Banner region of Inner Mongolia after being released into Earth's orbit by the uncrewed Chang’e-6 probe.
-
- The intention was to collect up to 2kg of moon rock and soil.
- The Chang’e-6 mission, named after the Chinese moon goddess, launched from Hainan province and landed on the moon's far side.
- The mission’s lander spent two days collecting rock and soil samples from the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin, one of the oldest and largest craters on the moon, using a robotic arm and drill.
- The ascent module then lifted off from the moon's surface, realigned with the orbiter, and began its journey back to Earth.
- Recovering any samples from the moon is difficult, but doing so from the far side, where communications are particularly challenging, is a step no other agency has taken.
Similar Missions:
- Previously, the US, China, and the former Soviet Union have gathered samples from the near side of the moon, but this is the first time material has been brought back from the far side.
- China has collaborated with international scientists to study samples from the near side of the moon.
- However, it is unclear whether the same access will be granted to the new samples from the far side.
- These latest samples could provide new insights into the early history of the moon and Earth.
Future Lunar Missions:
- China has several more lunar missions planned for this decade, aimed at paving the way for an International Lunar Research base.
- This base will be co-led with Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, and will eventually see a Chinese astronaut landing on the moon.
- India’s Chandrayaan-4, also known as the LUPEX mission, is scheduled to launch in 2028.
- The Indian space agency ISRO has plans to send Indian astronauts to the Moon by 2040.
|
About far side of the moon:
|
