China s Chang e 5 probe returns to Earth with first new Moon rock samples in more than 40 years
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WedWednesday 16
DecDecember 2020 at 11:50pm
Two of the Chang e 5 s four modules set down on the Moon on December 1.
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A Chinese lunar capsule has returned to Earth with the first fresh samples of rock and debris from the Moon in more than 40 years.
Key points:
Chang e collected about 2 kilograms of samples by scooping them from the surface and by drilling 2 metres into the Moon s crust
The rocks are thought to be billions of years younger than those obtained earlier by the US and former Soviet Union
A Chinese lunar capsule returned to Earth Thursday with the first fresh samples of rock and debris from the moon in more than 40 years. The capsule of the Chang e 5 probe landed in the Siziwang district of the Inner Mongolia region, state media reported shortly after 2:00 am (1800 GMT). The capsule earlier separated from its orbiter module and performed a bounce off the Earth s atmosphere to reduce its speed before passing through and floating to the ground on parachutes. Two of the Chang e 5 s four modules set down on the moon on December 1 and collected about 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of samples by scooping them from the surface and by drilling 2 meters (about 6 feet) into the moon s crust.
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, recovery crew members check on the capsule of the Chang’e 5 probe after its successful landed in Siziwang district, north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Dec. 17. (Xinhua via AP Photo)
BEIJING A Chinese lunar capsule returned to Earth on Thursday with the first fresh samples of rock and debris from the moon in more than 40 years.
The capsule of the Chang’e 5 probe landed in the Siziwang district of the Inner Mongolia region, state media reported shortly after 2 a.m. (1800 GMT). The capsule earlier separated from its orbiter module and performed a bounce off Earth’s atmosphere to reduce its speed before passing through and floating to the ground on parachutes.
It is also the first time lunar samples have landed back on Earth for the first time since the Soviet Union’s Luna 24 robot probe in 1976.
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) reported that the capsule carrying the samples separated from the rocket as it neared Earth.
As it did so, it bounced off of Earth s atmosphere - a calculated move which was designed to slow down the pace of the lander.
The capsule is currently on its way to Beijing, where it will be opened by scientists who will have fresh lunar samples to analyse.
China Moon probe successfully returns to Earth in historic space mission (Image: GETTY)
Beijing
A Chinese lunar capsule returned to Earth on Thursday with the first fresh rock samples from the moon in more than 40 years, offering the possibility of new insights into the history of the solar system and marking a new landmark for China’s rapidly advancing space program.
The capsule of the Chang’e 5 probe landed just before 2 a.m. Thursday Beijing time in the Siziwang district of the Inner Mongolia region, the China National Space Administration reported.
The capsule had earlier separated from its orbiter module and performed a bounce off Earth’s atmosphere to reduce its speed before passing through and floating to the ground on parachutes. Following recovery, the capsule and its cargo of samples were flown to the space program’s campus in Beijing to begin the process of disassembly and analysis, the space administration said.