Red and Yellow
China’s recent visit to the moon has already been a huge success.
China’s lunar probe Chang’e-6 landed in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon on Sunday and collected samples shortly thereafter.
And early today, the probe launched for its long return to Earth.
But first, China will plant its flag on the little-studied hemisphere of the moon, which always faces away from Earth, in a symbolic move that highlights how far China’s space program has come since its first unmanned lunar mission just 17 years ago.
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Big stars, little stars
Images taken by the small probe deployed shortly after touching down on the moon’s surface showed the chunky lander using its robotic arm to raise a red Chinese flag.
This will be China’s second sample return mission to the moon and its fourth mission to the lunar surface, including two rovers.
The flag itself is very different from the ones we fly on Earth: It’s made from volcanic basalt, broken down into long, thin fibers just one-third the diameter of a human hair, to withstand the extreme temperature changes on the far side of the moon.
China is already looking to the distant future and planning to establish a more permanent base on the moon.
“The surface of the moon is covered with basalt,” Chang’e-6 engineer Zhou Changyi told state broadcaster NASA. Surveillance camera“We plan to build a lunar base in the future, so we will likely turn basalt into fiber and use it as a building material.”
The spacecraft will take about three weeks to return to Earth, with the plan being to drop the supplies in Mongolia around June 25.
By literally planting its flag on the far side of the moon (its second visit to the cratered hemisphere), China is quickly establishing itself as a force to be reckoned with. While NASA is still preparing for its long-awaited return to the lunar surface, China is storming ahead, beating out international competitors.
More about China’s moon mission: China lands on dark side of the moon, prepares to collect loot and return to Earth
