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New China discovery on the Moon!
It’s common to see Chinese scientists doing space missions
, and this one is also important to reinforce an already existing theory. China did a special mission called Chang’e 6 on a hidden part of the Moon, the one we can’t see from Earth. Scientists brought some valuable lunar rocks, almost 4.4 pounds of lunar dust and stones.
These samples were very useful for China University of Geosciences to strengthen the theory of the Moon’s surface being covered by a magma ocean. So, let’s see what this Chinese discovery was really all about!
China mission: Chang’e 6
Chang’e 6
was a space mission launched by China in May of 2024 and it finished in June of the same year. For one month, Chinese scientists were able to take Moon samples from a side of the Moon we can’t reach to see from our planet, properly speaking, they got 4.4 pounds of lunar dust and rocks. This mission is the only one that has collected samples from this part of the Moon, so it’s really important for space studies.
The finding
The China University of Geosciences analyzed the unique samples and they found volcanic rocks called basalt from a long time ago, between 2.8 and 4.2 billion years ago. The striking thing about this discovery wasn’t the basalt rock itself, it was where they were found. Similar rocks were found on the visible part of the Moon, which led scientists to think the hidden part of the Moon also had volcanic activity in the past – something unthinkable before this finding.
What’s more, the samples contained a special material called KREEP formed by potassium, rara earth and phosphorus, which indicates the magma the Moon made was cooled in the same way in both parts of the Moon. What does this mean? It reinforces the theory of the Moon being covered by a magma ocean in its early days.
Magma ocean?
Yes, this magma ocean was formed more than 45 billion years ago at the same time the Moon was formed. The Moon was so hot that its surface was covered by melted rock, which was this magma ocean. With the passage of time, this magma was getting cool until it solidified, so the lightest materials floated on the surface creating the lunar crust whereas the heaviest ones sank creating the lunar mantle. An interesting fact, the KREEP special material we previously mentioned, was formed in the layer between the lunar crust and the lunar mantle.
Importance of this finding
Every finding is an open window for scientists to continue making studies using new findings, and this is what the samples from Chang’e 6 mission are doing. Now, it’s possible to compare both sides of the Moon and make a clear image of the lunar history, how was it formed? How has it evolved through all these years?
In addition, Earth will be better understood thanks to this study on the Moon since they share the same origin. For example, lunar rocks analyses lead to the learning of volcanic processes and the evolution of rocky planets like Earth.
What’s next?
China is willing to keep doing missions in the future, they are thinking about settling an international lunar research base in collaboration with Russia and other countries. China has more ideas for the future, like manned missions to the Moon which will be useful for astronauts to directly study the Moon’s surface and make scientific experiments.
How fascinating it’s the fact that we keep learning new things about space, even though they have already been studied. What will we learn tomorrow?
