(Xinhua/Jin Liwang)
BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) — China’s Chang’e-6 mission has collected 1,935.3 grams of samples from the far side of the Moon, the China National Space Administration announced Friday. CNSA).
Zhang Kejian, director of the CNSA, handed over the sample container to Ding Chibiao, vice president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), along with the sample certificate during a ceremony held held in Beijing.
Minister of Industry and Information Technology Jin Zhuanglong presided over the award ceremony.
According to preliminary measurements, the Chang’e-6 mission collected 1,935.3 grams of lunar samples, according to the CNSA.
“We found that the samples brought back by Chang’e-6 were more viscous than the previous ones, with the presence of clusters. These are observable features,” Ge Ping, deputy director of the CNSA’s Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center and spokesperson for the Chang’e-6 mission, told reporters at the ceremony.
The researchers will then proceed with storage and processing of the lunar samples as planned and begin scientific research work.
The lunar samples, which were collected from the far side of the Moon for the first time in human history, are of unique scientific significance as they will help to better understand the evolution of the Moon, accelerate the pace of peaceful exploration and utilization of lunar resources, and be an important asset for all mankind, the CNSA said.
The CNSA is committed to maintaining the spirit of lunar exploration, characterized by “pursuing dreams, daring exploration, working together to overcome challenges, and win-win cooperation”, to ensure the proper management of samples.
It will organize scientific research on the samples and share China’s achievements in lunar exploration with the international community, the CNSA added.
Based on the lunar sample management rules issued by the CNSA and the experience gained in handling applications for lunar samples collected by the Chang’e-5 mission, applications for samples from the Chang’e-6 mission will be opened to domestic research institutions and scientists in about six months, Ge noted.
Regarding international applications, China has always maintained a positive and open attitude, and welcomes scientists from all countries to submit their applications in accordance with the relevant procedures, Ge said.
Extensive research on lunar samples brought back by the Chang’e-5 mission has already yielded significant scientific results in areas such as moon formation and evolution, space weather and resource utilization, according to the CNSA.
The researchers have published more than 80 articles in major national and international journals, including the discovery of the new lunar mineral Changesite-(Y), the sixth discovered on the Moon, and the “youngest” basalt on the Moon, whose age was determined to be about two billion years and which extended the “life” of lunar volcanism by 800 to 900 million years more than previously known.
The Chang’e-6 probe was launched into orbit on May 3. On June 25, its return module, carrying lunar samples, landed precisely in the designated area of Siziwang Banner in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, marking the complete success of the mission.
The Chang’e-6 return module arrived safely in Beijing. Researchers opened it and successfully retrieved the lunar sample container on Wednesday, according to the CNSA. END
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