Moon's Basalt Sample from China's Chang'e-6 Mission Uncovers More Mysteries
Chinese researchers reported that a valuable large basalt sample has been collected during China's Chang'e-6 lunar exploration mission. It is expected to provide more unique insights into uncovering the mysteries of the Moon.
In 2024, Chang'e-6 made history by bringing 1,935.3 grams of lunar far-side samples back to Earth. These samples were collected from the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin, the largest, deepest, and oldest basin on the Moon, which provided a rare opportunity to clarify the compositional differences between the near and far sides and to unravel the long-standing mystery of their asymmetry.
Among the samples collected by Chang'e-6, the largest basalt particle is around 2.5 centimeters in size and weighs around 10 grams.
"It's extremely rare to find rock fragments larger than one centimeter. The majority of the rock debris we collected is mostly around 0.1 centimeters," said Zhou Qin, an associate research fellow at the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
She also introduced additional features and highlighted the research significance of the sample.
"It's basalt. The dark regions visible on the lunar surface are comprised of this type of rock. For smaller rock debris, due to the limitations of its size or weight, the scientific analyses we can conduct are relatively limited. Therefore, for the larger one, we can conduct more scientific analyses. For instance, with the sample, we will take a small portion of it to make thin sections to observe its petrographic features and determine its mineral composition. Additionally, we can take a bit more of the sample to conduct some high-precision quantitative work, including its elemental chemical composition and isotopic composition. All these can be done simultaneously, which is equivalent to viewing and interpreting the same sample from different dimensions. However, for the smaller sample particles, we cannot interpret the matter from multiple dimensions at the same time," explained Zhou.
The Chang'e-6 probe was launched from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China's Hainan Province on May 3, 2024. It touched down on the far side of the Moon on June 2. During its two-day stay, Chang'e-6 used a scoop and drill, collecting nearly 2 kilograms of lunar material. On June 25, 2024, its returner brought back the samples and made a landing in north China.
Duration: 1 minute, 24 seconds
Release Date: July 11, 2025
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