June 25, 2024
China's Chang'e 6 lunar probe returns to Earth
SPACEChina's Chang'e 6 lunar probe returns to Earth with first-ever samples from far side of the moon
June 25, 2024 / 4:49 AM EDT / CBS/AP Beijing - China's Chang'e 6 lunar probe returned to Earth on Tuesday with rock and soil samples from the little-explored far side of the moon in a global first. The probe landed in northern China on Tuesday afternoon in the Inner Mongolian region. "I now declare that the Chang'e 6 Lunar Exploration Mission achieved complete success," Zhang Kejian, Director of the China National Space Administration said shortly in a televised news conference after the landing. Chinese scientists anticipate the returned samples will include 2.5 million-year-old volcanic rock and other material that they hope will answer questions about geographic differences on the moon's two sides. Image credit An image taken from a video animation aired on June 4, 2024 by China's state television network CCTV shows an artist's depiction of the Chang'e 6 lunar probe's ascender module, carrying rock and soil samples from the far side of the moon, leaving the lunar surface to head back to Earth.
An image taken from a video animation aired on June 4, 2024 by China's state television network CCTV shows an artist's depiction of the Chang'e 6 lunar probe's ascender module, carrying rock and soil samples from the far side of the moon, leaving the lunar surface to head back to Earth.
REUTERS/CCTV China
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