After the historic feat of visiting the far side of the Moon, China is now in possession of unprecedented lunar samples that will undergo further scientific analysis.
Historical Lunar Samples
Launched last May 3, the Chang'e 6 lunar probe lifted off aboard a Long March-5 rocket from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on the southern island of Hainan. The lunar lander flew back to Earth after spending approximately two months on the Moon on June 25 in China's northern region of Inner Mongolia.
On June 28, China National Space Administration, CNSA, announced that the lunar exploration mission brought back 4.3 pounds of rock samples from the "dark side" of the Moon. This is a technological success for Beijing's space program, since communications from the far side are especially difficult to make.
Not only are these samples of unique scientific value, but they will also help to broaden human knowledge of the moon's history. Samples will also be helpful in gearing up the exploration and exploitation of resources on the moon, said the China National Space Administration.
Prior to the Chang'e-6 mission, all of the lunar substances present on Earth belonged to those obtained from the near side of the moon from the United States' six manned landings under the Apollo mission, three robotic missions under the Luna of the former Soviet Union, and the unmanned mission from China's Chang'e-5 probe.
Studying Humanity's Shared Treasure
The CNSA announced the weight of the samples during a ceremony at the space authority headquarters in Beijing. During this event, the space authority also handed over the substances, literally holding inestimable value, to scientists.
The Vice President of the Chinese Academy, Ding Chibiao, received the lunar dust placed in a special container from the CNSA head, Zhang Kejian. The samples were then sent for storage and initial processing at a lunar sample lab in Beijing.
The container will then be opened, and the content will be divided by the National Astronomical Observatories. According to a lunar sample management regulation, some preparatory work should be done first, and then scientists can access samples for study. Authorities expect new findings sprouting from systematic scientific analyses and studies.
According to Ge Ping, a senior space official who oversees China's lunar programs, the samples looked "thicker and stickier" than those collected from near the Moon. He also stated that the rocks contain some "lumps."
Chang'e-6 mission Deputy Chief Designer Li Chunlai stated that the samples had already differed greatly in mineral composition compared to the previous samples collected before, even though they had not been analyzed. This means that humans know only half of the Moon from those samples.
Ge added that the first batch of lunar samples would be opened to domestic researchers around the end of 2024. Samples would also be given out to foreign scientists very soon, he stated.
But American researchers probably won't be among them when the rest of the world gets its hands on the Moon rocks. That is because, in 2011, the US enacted a law banning any federal funding for direct collaboration with China.
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