A collaboration team of Chinese scientists released the first research article studying farside lunar samples achieved by Chang’e-6 spacecraft. It was published on Monday in an open-access scientific journal website, National Science Review, according to the National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Titled “Nature of the lunar farside samples returned by the Chang’E-6 mission,” the research unveils the physical, mineralogical, petrographic and geochemical properties of these samples.
Analyzing these samples will help study key aspects of lunar science, such as the moon’s early evolution, the variability of volcanic activities between the nearside and farside, and the impact history of the inner solar system, according to the research.
This research is composed by a group of leading Chinese space science researchers, including Li Chunlai from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hu Hao, chief designer of the Chang’e-6 mission, and Yang Mengfei from the Beijing Institute of Spacecraft System Engineering.
Launched on May 3 and returned on June 25 this year, China’s Chang’e-6 lunar probe brought back 1,935.3 grams of samples, collected from the far side of the moon for the first time in human history.
(Cover image via CFP)