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China’s Chang’e-6 lunar probe returns world’s first samples from far side of the moon
The Guardian UK ^ | 25 Jun 2024 | Ian Sample

Posted on 06/25/2024 8:48:45 PM PDT by blueplum

China has become the first country to gather samples from the far side of the moon and bring them back to Earth in a landmark achievement for the Beijing space programme.

A re-entry capsule containing the precious cargo parachuted into a landing zone in the rural Siziwang Banner region of Inner Mongolia on Tuesday after being released into Earth’s orbit by the uncrewed Chang’e-6 probe....The mission’s lander spent two days collecting rock and soil from one of the oldest and largest craters on the moon, the 1,600-mile-wide South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin...

(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...


TOPICS: China; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: change6; moon; space

1 posted on 06/25/2024 8:48:45 PM PDT by blueplum
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To: blueplum

In an unexpected twist, it’s Jade.


2 posted on 06/25/2024 9:31:59 PM PDT by WeaslesRippedMyFlesh
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To: blueplum
Here's a picture I found online of the sample:
3 posted on 06/25/2024 10:32:05 PM PDT by FrankRizzo890
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To: blueplum

China probably intends to use the sample to reverse engineer the composition and structure to create their own Moon.


4 posted on 06/26/2024 2:12:29 AM PDT by Apparatchik (Русские свиньи, идите домой!)
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To: blueplum

How do they guess a crater’s age?


5 posted on 06/26/2024 2:21:10 AM PDT by Adder (End fascism...defeat all Democrats.)
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To: Adder

“How do they guess a crater’s age?”

Visually via the geological law of superposition. Older features are cut by younger features. Since the age of the moon is relatively well known via Apollo samples you can count back the number of impacts on a feature until you get to the best estimate of the first and oldest one. Since it can’t be any older than the isotopic ratio date of the surface samples returned by Apollo you have a start date. The face of the moon away from earth has been beat to crap by impacts since the moon locked into resonance orbit with earth.


6 posted on 06/26/2024 3:41:10 AM PDT by GenXPolymath
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To: blueplum

found moo goo gia pan


7 posted on 06/26/2024 5:17:11 AM PDT by ronnie raygun
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To: blueplum

The rocks are stamped “Made in China”.


8 posted on 06/26/2024 5:46:41 AM PDT by DownInFlames (P)
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To: GenXPolymath

Thank you.


9 posted on 06/26/2024 4:23:29 PM PDT by Adder (End fascism...defeat all Democrats.)
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