Jin Liwang/Xinhua News Agency/PA
The first samples of moon rocks to come back to Earth since 1976 have landed. On 16 December, the Chinese Chang’e 5 spacecraft brought back about 2 kilograms of material after a quick visit to the lunar surface.
Chang’e 5 landed on the moon on 1 December and lifted off again on 3 December. The spacecraft’s time there was short because it was solar powered and not built to survive the frigid lunar nights, which can reach temperatures as low as -173°C. Lunar days last about 14 Earth days.
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“As a lunar scientist, it’s just really inspiring and makes me take a sigh of relief that we’re back on the surface of the moon collecting samples for the first time in almost 50 years,” says Jessica Barnes at the University of Arizona. The last mission to return samples from the moon was the Soviet Luna 24 probe in 1976.