A Chinese capsule from the Chang'e 6 mission has returned to Earth with rocks from the far side of the Moon. The capsule landed in the Inner Mongolia region this morning in northern China.
Chang'e 6 left for the Moon in early May, arrived earlier this month and returned after several days of collecting material. This mission was the first to take samples from the far side of the Moon.
The material comes from a very deep crater. Scientists hope it will help answer questions about the geographical differences between the side of the Moon closest to Earth and the other side. While the far side - which faces away from Earth - is relatively flat, it has mountains and impact craters and may have a different composition of rocks.
The far side is technically challenging to reach because of its distance and difficult terrain, with giant craters and few flat surfaces. Scientists are interested in this less explored side because it is hoped that it may contain traces of ice that can be harvested for water, oxygen and hydrogen.
