On September 17, a group of Chinese scientists announced the first research findings on samples collected from the Moon and brought back to Earth by the Chang’e 6 spacecraft, highlighting that these samples exhibit “distinctive characteristics” compared to previously obtained lunar samples.
The research was published in the National Science Review journal, coinciding with the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival.
Assembly staff working on the Chang’e 6 probe model before a press conference about the mission to explore and collect samples from the Moon’s dark side – (Photo: Reuters).
The research was conducted by the National Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Space Engineering and Lunar Exploration Center, along with the Beijing Institute of Spacecraft System Engineering.
The scientists discovered that the lunar soil and rock samples collected by Chang’e 6 have lower density, a looser structure, and are more porous compared to previous samples.
The amount of plagioclase minerals in the Chang’e 6 samples is significantly higher than in the samples from Chang’e 5, while the olivine content is considerably lower.
The research also revealed that the rocks brought back by Chang’e 6 primarily consist of basalt, sandstone, cementing materials, crystals, and leucocratic components.
Analysis of the chemical properties of the samples indicated that the concentrations of trace elements such as thorium, uranium, and potassium differ greatly from those in samples collected by the Apollo missions and Chang’e 5.
The Chang’e 6 spacecraft was launched into space on May 3. On June 25, it successfully landed in northern China, returning with 1,935.3 grams of samples collected from the Moon’s dark side.
