China's Chang'e-6 touched down on the moon's far side to collect samples from this rarely explored terrain for the first time in human history.
The Chang'e-6 probe launched on May 3 and is expected to return to Earth in 53 days. Its landing area is the Apollo Basin inside the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin, which is flat and conducive to landing and sampling.
Regarding composition, crustal thickness, and volcanic activity, the far and near sides of the moon are very different, which scientists call the "lunar dichotomy[1]". However, due to the lack of samples from the far side, scientists have not reached a consensus on the origin of the dichotomy, which is one of the biggest challenges in lunar research. Chang'e-6 will bring back precious samples from the far side, which may help answer key questions about lunar evolution and even redefine our understanding of the celestial body closest to Earth.
The Chang'e-6 mission will go through 11 stages, with each step being crucial and interconnected. Currently, Chang'e-6 has successfully landed in the designated area in the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin on the far side of the moon. We look forward to the complete success of the Chang'e-6 mission in the summer!
Planner | Cao Si
Coordinator | Zhang Zhe, Xu Mian, Liu Ziqui, Li Hengdan
Cooperation Media | China Space News
Text | Deng Yunan from China Space News, Wang Shikun from Nanfang Plus, Ge Yuting
Poster Copywriter | Li Hengdan, Deng Wei
Video | Zhang Ruiwei, Chen Mingji, Wingheng
Video Editor | Xie Miaofeng, Ou Xiaoming
Editor | Olivia, Monica, Clarice, James
