China's Chang'e 6 lunar probe has successfully delivered the first samples from the far side of the Moon to Earth, marking a significant milestone in the nation's ambitious space program.
The probe landed in Inner Mongolia on Tuesday, bringing back incredibly rare materials, including 2.5-million-year-old volcanic rock. The mission, which launched in early May, spent a month reaching the Moon and just over 48 hours collecting samples before starting its return journey.
In addition to the samples, the probe deployed several scientific instruments on the lunar surface, including one that detected negative ions.
China first landed on the Moon's far side in April 2019 and remains the only country to do so, accomplishing this feat twice.
The Moon's far side, with its challenging terrain of tall craters and massive boulders, is much less explored than the near side. Scientists hope to find valuable resources there, such as water ice, which could provide water, oxygen, and hydrogen for future explorers.
"It's incredibly exciting to see this landing successfully," said Catherine Heymans, Scotland's astronomer royal. "The geological activity on the Moon is very different on the near side and the far side and it's been a big puzzle why we see those differences."
Researchers are eager to analyze the over four pounds of samples to unlock the mysteries of the Moon's formation and evolution.
"It's a gold mine... a treasure chest," said James Head, a planetary geosciences professor at Brown University. "International scientists are totally excited about the mission."
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