A rover camera photographs the lander and ascent vehicle of the Chang’e-6 lunar rover on the surface of the far side of the moon on June 3, 2024. Photo courtesy of CNSA.
China’s lunar probe Chang’e-6 is set to return to Earth in about 10 days with samples collected from the far side of the moon, media reported Saturday, highlighting the possibility of new discoveries that could aid in lunar research.
The official account of the lunar probe Chang’e-6 posted an update on Chinese social media platform Weibo on Saturday morning, saying that a mysterious package from the moon was on its way to Earth and that the delivery progress was currently more than 30% complete.
China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Saturday that the “famous object” from the far side of the moon will arrive in mainland China within about 10 days.
The latest report from China’s lunar probe comes after it successfully completed its sample collection mission at the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon from June 2nd to 3rd, packaging the valuable samples collected from the far side of the moon and sending them to a storage device onboard the probe, completing the “packaging” process for this special delivery from the moon.
The Chang’e 6 elevator took off from the far side of the moon at 7:38 a.m. on June 4th, carrying lunar samples, and then smoothly reached the lunar orbit as scheduled. At this point, Chang’e 6 became the world’s first sample collection and takeoff from the far side of the moon.
Scientists have noted significant differences in the geological composition and age of the near and far sides of the moon, so sampling the far side of the moon could bring new discoveries to lunar research.
The striking difference between the near and far sides of the moon is a very valuable expression of the dichotomy of the moon. He Huicun, a researcher at the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, said in a CCTV report that one of the important scientific missions of Chang’e-6, which collected and brought back materials from the far side of the moon, was to clarify the dichotomy between the near and far sides of the moon.
Experts have noted that the composition of the near and far sides of the Moon is different: the near side of the Moon is mostly covered by dark black basalt and has a large area of soil, while the far side is dominated by bright white plagioclase, creating a dramatic contrast. As a result, the far side of the Moon is thought to be older than the near side, making it of great scientific value.
“The far side of the Moon has no protection like a magnetic field or atmosphere and is subject to frequent meteorite impacts. The basin we visited is a huge impact crater on the far side of the Moon which is very old and has the potential to eject material from the Moon’s deep crust and mantle. Therefore, we hope that retrieving lunar mantle material will provide clues as to what exactly the interior of the Moon is,” said Professor Yun Kai-leung from the Department of Precision Engineering at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Global Times
