The world's first, 1935.3 grams! How significant is the "digging" on the far side of the moon?

On June 28, the National Space Administration held a lunar sample handover ceremony for the Chang'e-6 lunar exploration mission in Beijing. According to preliminary measurements, the Chang'e-6 mission collected 1,935.3 grams of lunar samples .

After the samples are safely transported to the lunar sample laboratory, researchers from the ground application system will carry out storage and processing of the lunar samples as planned and start scientific research work. This marks the official transition of the Chang'e-6 mission from the engineering implementation stage to a new stage of scientific research.

Full record of Chang'e 6's "digging"

On May 3, the Chang'e-6 probe was successfully launched from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in China. With its successful entry into the Earth-Moon transfer orbit, Chang'e-6 officially started its "journey to the back of the moon" and "treasure hunting journey".

On June 2, the Chang'e-6 lander and ascender combination, with the support of the Queqiao-2 relay satellite, successfully landed in the pre-selected landing area in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the back of the moon.

From June 2 to 3, Chang'e-6 successfully completed intelligent rapid sampling in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon, and packaged the precious lunar far side samples and stored them in the storage device carried by the ascender, completing the "packing and boxing" of this cosmic express.

At 7:38 am on June 4, the Chang'e-6 ascender carrying lunar samples took off from the back of the moon and then successfully entered the predetermined lunar orbit.

At 14:07 on June 25, 2024, the Chang'e-6 returner carrying lunar samples from the far side of the moon safely landed in the designated area of ​​Siziwang Banner, Inner Mongolia, and the Chang'e-6 mission of the lunar exploration project was a complete success.

Image source: Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Beh)

Taking soil from the far side of the moon is of great significance

Since the 1950s, humans have conducted more than 100 lunar explorations and completed 10 lunar sample return missions, all of which were taken from the front side of the moon.

At the end of 2020, Chang'e-5 obtained 1,731 grams of lunar soil samples from the Moon, which were collected in the Ocean of Storms on the Moon. This is the first time that humans have obtained samples from young volcanic rock areas on the lunar surface, and it is also the first time that Chinese scientists have their own extraterrestrial return samples.

The landing site of Chang'e-6 is the South Pole-Aitken Basin , the largest known impact crater in the solar system. The impact force may penetrate the lunar crust and reach the lunar mantle.

This major impact event is likely to have caused materials that originally existed deep inside the moon to "turn over" to the lunar surface. Comparing ancient lunar soil samples with young samples has very important scientific significance and is expected to help us better study scientific issues such as lunar evolution. Today, the world is looking forward to this "treasure" bringing more surprises to human exploration of the mysteries of nature.

The Chang'e-6 sampling playback footage shot on the screen at the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center on June 4.

Image source: Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Jin Liwang)

From Chang'e flying to the moon to Dunhuang flying, the Chinese people have never stopped their curiosity and exploration of the moon. On May 29, 2023, the China Manned Space Engineering Office announced at the Shenzhou 16 manned flight mission press conference that the lunar landing phase of my country's manned lunar exploration project has been launched and is scheduled to achieve the first Chinese landing on the moon before 2030. Today, my country's manned lunar exploration mission is progressing in an orderly manner:

Launch Chang'e-7 around 2026 to conduct environmental and resource surveys at the lunar South Pole;

Launch Chang'e-8 around 2028 to conduct technical verification of in-situ utilization of lunar resources;

Achieve Chinese landing on the moon before 2030;

The basic model of the international lunar research station will be completed by 2035...

The Chinese people’s dream of “reaching for the moon” has become clear and tangible.

Comprehensive sources: Xinhuanet, People's Daily, Science and Technology Daily, etc.