Far side samples from the Chang’e 6 mission analyzed for the first time

The topographic map shows the landing sites of the Chang’e, Apollo, and Luna missions. Credit: NAOC
A team of Chinese scientists studied the first far side samples brought back by the Chang’e 6 mission. This discovery marks an important milestone in lunar exploration science and technical exploration capabilities. The study was published in National Science Review on September 16th.
Professor Li Chunlai of the National Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC), one of the paper’s corresponding authors, said: “As the first samples collected from the far side of the moon, these samples provide an unparalleled opportunity for lunar research. I guess so.” study.
These samples reveal several important aspects of lunar science, including the Moon’s early evolution, the variability of volcanic activity between its near and far sides, the collision history of the inner solar system, and the record of galactic activity preserved on the Moon. Helps advance understanding of aspects. Weathering layers, the lunar magnetic field and its anomalies and duration, the composition and structure of the lunar crust and mantle.
Samples were collected from the lunar surface using drilling and scooping techniques. The team analyzed their physical, mineralogical, petrographic and geochemical properties. Analysis showed that the samples collected reflected a mixture of “local” basaltic material and “exotic” non-shore material. The rock fragments are mainly basalt, breccia, and agglomerate. The main constituent minerals of the soil are plagioclase, pyroxene, and titanite, and the content of olivine is very low. The lunar soil in the sample is mostly a mixture of local basalt and non-basaltic ejecta material.
The Moon’s surface is divided into three very distinct geochemical regions based on changes in geochemical properties and history of petrological evolution. These are the Procellum Creep Terrain (PKT), the Feldsparic Plateau Terrain (FHT), and the Antarctic Aitken Terrain (SPAT).
“These local basalts record the volcanic history of the Moon’s far side, and the non-basaltic debris contains information about the Moon’s high-altitude crust, melting from the South Pole-Aitken collision, and potentially the Moon’s deep mantle. “These samples are of great scientific importance as they can provide important insights into our research,” Professor Lee said.
“These insights are expected to lead to new concepts and theories about the origin and evolution of the Moon, and refine the use of the Moon as an interpretive paradigm for the evolution of terrestrial planets,” Professor Lee added.
A total of 382.9812 kg of lunar samples were collected from the 6 Apollo missions, 3 lunar missions, and the Chang’e 5 mission. These lunar samples have provided scientists with important information about the moon’s formation and evolutionary history. “Returned lunar samples will be essential for planetary science research as they will provide critical laboratory data to link in-orbit remote sensing observations to actual ground truth on Earth,” Professor Lee said.
The samples contributed to the development of hypotheses such as the Moon’s huge influence on the early Earth’s origin, the Moon’s magma ocean, and late heavy bombardment. These early studies of lunar samples, all collected from the moon’s near side, significantly advanced the field of planetary science. “Without sufficient sampling from the entire Moon’s surface, especially from the far side, samples from the Moon’s surface alone will not be able to fully capture the geological diversity of the Moon as a whole. This limitation is due to the origin and evolution of the Moon. “It’s hindering our understanding of what’s going on,” Professor Lee said.
Scientists got a much-needed sample of the far side of the moon on June 25, 2024, when the Chang’e 6 mission collected a 1,935.3-gram lunar sample from the Aitken Basin in Antarctica.
Samples collected from the moon’s near side by the Apollo, Luna, and CE-5 missions included samples from PKT and FHT. Until now, no samples had been collected from the unique SPAT on the far side of the Moon. Scientists believe that the Antarctic Aitken Basin formed during the pre-Nectrian era, between 4.2 and 4.3 billion years ago. This is the largest known impact basin in the solar system.
Further information: Chunlai Li et al, “Properties of far-side samples returned by the Chang’e-6 mission”, National Science Review (2024). DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwae328
Provided by Chinese Academy of Sciences
Source: Analyzing the first farside samples from the Chang’e 6 mission (September 26, 2024) From https://phys.org/news/2024-09-lunar-farside-samples-mission.html September 2024 Retrieved on 26th of month
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