Rock and soil samples from the far side of the moon have been returned to Earth for the first time in history through a Chinese space mission. The Chang’e 6 probe landed in northern China on Tuesday after completing its mission.
It’s the first time any country has collected samples from that area of the moon. The far side, which always faces away from Earth, is different from the near side we can see. It has more mountains and craters.
Scientists around the world are excited about these samples because they might help explain why the two sides of the moon are so different. The rocks could be up to 2.5 million years old and come from an ancient crater called the South Pole-Aitken Basin.
China’s space program leader, Zhang Kejian, announced that the mission was a success on Monday. Chinese leader Xi Jinping praised the team, calling it a big step towards China becoming a space and technology leader.
The Chang’e 6 probe left Earth on May 3 and spent 53 days on its journey, where it landed on the moon, drilled into the surface, and scooped up rocks for analysis.
This mission is part of a growing competition in space exploration between China, the United States, and other countries. China has its own space station and regularly sends astronauts there.
Scientists hope these samples will teach humans more about the moon’s history and maybe even about the early solar system. There’s a theory that the moon protected Earth from meteorites in the past, and these samples might help prove or disprove this idea.
China says it plans to share the samples with scientists from other countries, although they haven’t said exactly which ones yet.