China’s lunar probe returns to Earth with the first samples from the far side of the moon

The first soil samples taken from the far side of the Moon arrived on Earth today. China’s Song 6 spacecraft landed in Inner Mongolia at 2:07 PM Beijing time today with precious cargo. Government media.

The achievement is expected to help scientists better understand the unfamiliar landscape of the far side of the Moon and shed some light on the early history of the Moon and Earth. This is a significant milestone in the global space race to establish a presence on the Moon.

On June 2, Chang’e 6 landed on the far side of the moon, a difficult endeavor because the moon itself blocks radio signals there. To avoid this, Chang’e 6 relied on two lunar satellites that China had previously launched to facilitate communications between Earth and the rovers on the moon’s far, rugged surface.

After landing at the moon’s far south pole—the Aitken Basin—the probe uses its robotic arm and drilling tools to take soil and rock samples. It also carried payloads from the European Space Agency, France and Italy.”Scientific study.”

The South Pole-Aitken Basin is a massive impact crater that may have created some 4.26 billion years ago. Compared to the smooth side of the Moon, the craters are far away. Ancient conflicts. How these craters formed and what materials they hold are important questions for piecing together the Moon’s history.

“This also has implications for understanding the origin of life on Earth,” writes the nonprofit The Planetary Society. Mail about Chang’e 6 earlier this year, citing a theory that asteroids could be present carried away Water and organic matter to Earth during the so-called event Late Heavy Bombardment. There has been more of surveillance Just how severe that blast really was recently. Long-awaited samples from the far side of the Moon will help begin to answer some of these questions.