Rovers, Probes, and Uncrewed Craft In General

[Irrev-Black]

An excuse to listen to Dark Side Of The Moon?

After a short visit to the Moon’s far side, a Chinese spacecraft loaded with lunar rock and dust has started its return trip to Earth to deliver these precious samples.

China’s Chang’e 6 mission ascent vehicle lifted off from the Aitken Basin on the lunar south pole on Monday at 7:38 p.m. ET (7:38 a.m. Beijing time on Tuesday), and is on its way back home, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

Chang’e-6 launched from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on May 3 and arrived on the Moon nearly one month later. The spacecraft touched down on Aitken Basin, the largest and oldest impact crater on the Moon’s far side. This crater may have exposed parts of the Moon’s mantle by blasting it to the surface. By grabbing samples from this impact crater, the mission could help scientists understand early impacts that helped shape Earth and the Moon and why the lunar far side is different than its near side counterpart.

After hanging out on the Moon for two days, a section of the spacecraft separated from the lander and shot into lunar orbit. There, the ascent vehicle is meant to dock with the mission’s service module in orbit, which will place the samples in a capsule headed for Earth.

The goal was for the spacecraft to collect 2,000 grams of lunar materials using an onboard drill. The mission is scheduled to arrive at Earth and deliver the samples on June 25.

https://gizmodo.com/china-moon-probe-sa ... 1851517843