A Chinese spacecraft successfully returned roughly 5 pounds of rocks mined from the far side of the moon to Earth yesterday, according to the China National Space Administration. The sample is the first far-side lunar regolith—the loose layer of dirt above bedrock—to be retrieved for scientific study. It is the latest success for China's Chang'e (pronounced "chong-uh") space program, which included the first controlled far-side lunar landing in 2019.
After launching May 3, the spacecraft spent several weeks in lunar orbit before descending to the South Pole-Aitken Basin, the solar system's oldest-known impact crater, where it harvested rocks and dust. Mission operators used two previously deployed orbiting satellites to communicate with the lander. A mechanical rover snapped a photo of the vehicle on the surface before the sample was launched back into orbit.
Chinese and international scholars expect the sample to shed light on the distinct geochemical makeup of the moon's cratered far side, which lacks the vast volcanic deposits covering the near side.
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