Chang’e-6 mission reveals key differences in lunar samples

CGTN Europe

What are the differences in the composition of the Moon's far side compared to its near side? Last Tuesday, Chinese researchers released new findings based on lunar samples collected by the Chang’e-6 and Chang’e-5 missions. #SpaceExploration #Change6 #Moon #LunarSamples

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00:00Chinese researchers just published their findings on the key differences between the lunar samples collected by the Chang'e-6 and Chang'e-5 missions.

00:08The 1,935 grams of lunar material that Chang'e-6 brought back from the far side of the moon

00:14are giving researchers a new look at the composition of this region.

00:17Previous missions focused on collecting samples from the near side of the moon,

00:21primarily basaltic volcanic rocks.

00:23However, Chang'e-6 uncovered something different.

00:26On the far side of the moon, researchers discovered a mixture of basalts and foreign ejecta,

00:31a stark contrast to the mostly basaltic composition of the near side.

00:35The new samples also have a lower density, suggesting the presence of lighter minerals.

00:40There are also significantly more glass fragments,

00:42contributing to the lighter overall appearance of the lunar samples.

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