BEIJING (AP) – A Chinese lunar capsule returned to Earth on Thursday with the first fresh specimens of rock and debris from the moon in more than 40 years.
Chang5’s investigation capsule arrived in the Siziwang district of the Inner Mongolia region, state media reported immediately at 2:00 a.m. (1800 GMT).
The capsule had previously detached from its orbiter module and bounced into the Earth’s atmosphere to reduce its speed before and after it floated on the Earth’s parachute.
Two of Chang 5’s four modules landed on the moon on December 1, and collected about 2 kilograms (4..4 pounds) of samples from the surface and 2 meters (about 6 feet) into the lunar crust.
Samples were deposited in sealed containers which were taken back to the return module by the mounting vehicle.
The successful mission was the latest advancement for China’s increasingly ambitious space program, which includes a robotic mission to Mars and plans for a permanent orbiting space station.
The retrieval crew built helicopters and off-road vehicles for the home on signals emitted by lunar spacecraft and found them in the darkness of a huge ice-covered carousel in the far north of China, which has long been a landing ground for China’s Shenzhou crew spaceships. Used. .
The return of the spacecraft was first marked when scientists obtained new samples of lunar rocks in 1976 after investigating the former Soviet Union’s Luna 24 robot.
Newly collected rocks in the U.S. And is thought to be billions of years younger than previously obtained by the former Soviet Union, giving new insights into the solar system and other bodies in the solar system. They come from a part of the moon near a place called Ocean Ramker called Ocean Procelerum or Ocean of Storms, which is believed to have been a volcano in ancient times.
U.S. Like the 382 kilograms (84 844 pounds) of lunar samples brought back by astronauts between 1969 and 1972, they are expected to be analyzed for age and composition and shared with other countries.
The age of the specimens will help fill the gap in knowledge about the history of the moon about 1 billion and three billion years ago, said Brad Joliff, director of the McDonnell Center for Space Sciences at Washington University in St. Petersburg, USA. Lewis, said in an email. They could also give signals about the availability of economically useful resources such as concentrated hydrogen and oxygen on the moon, Jolie said.
“These samples will be a treasure!” Jolie said. “My hat is off to pull a very difficult mission to our Chinese allies; The science flowing from the analysis of the returned samples will be a legacy that will last for many, many years to come, and hopefully involve the international community of scientists. “
Chang 5 exploded on November 23 from a launch base in China’s southern island province of Henan and went on without completing a highly technically sophisticated mission.
It marks the third successful lunar landing in China, but only one to return from the moon. Its predecessor, Changi 4, became the first probe to reach the slightly explored side of the moon and continued to send back data on conditions that could affect future extended investments by humans on the moon.
The moon has a special focus on the Chinese space program, which says it plans to land humans there and possibly build a permanent base. No timeline or other details have been revealed.
China has also joined the effort to eclipse Mars. In July, it launched the Tianvan 1 Probe, which took a lander and a robot rover in search of water.
In 2003, China became the third country to send an astronaut into orbit after the Soviet Union and the United States, and its space program proceeded more cautiously than the US-Soviet space race of the 1960s, which was marked by casualties and launch failure. By taking additional steps, China appears on the path to creating a program that can sustain steady progress.
U.S. “They (U.S. Lunar Program) read and admired the Apollo playbook, but also learned its constitution,” said John Johnson-Fris, an expert on the China Space Program at Naval College Ledge. “It’s better to slow down and set up the infrastructure for the future than to do it quickly and finish a little which allows you to continue.”
The latest flight includes collaboration with the European Space Agency, which helps monitor the mission. Amid concerns over the secrecy of the Chinese space program and close military alliances, the U.S. denies cooperation between NASA and CNSA unless Congress approves. This has prevented China from participating in the International Space Station, which has demanded compensation with the launch of the experimental space station and plans to complete a permanent orbiting outpost in the next two years.
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