Chang’e-6 lunar samples make public debut, lighter in color compared with previous mission

Shortly after the release of the first research paper on the Chang’e-6 lunar samples, the precious soil from the far side of the Moon made its public debut in a Beijing laboratory on Saturday. These samples have a lighter color compared with those returned from its previous mission due to differences in mineral composition, China Central Television (CCTV) reported.

In June of this year, China's lunar exploration project successfully completed the Chang'e-6 mission, bringing back 1,935.3 grams of precious material. These are the first research samples ever collected from the Moon’s far side.

When the Chang'e-6 lunar samples returned, they were sealed in specially designed airtight containers. Now, nearly three months later, these valuable extraterrestrial samples have been unsealed.

A CCTV video showed the samples safely stored at the lunar sample laboratory at the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing.

The samples have been divided into ten glass containers, each containing approximately 150 grams, according to CCTV. Compared to the Chang'e-5 samples from the Moon's near side, the Chang'e-6 samples appear slightly lighter in color due to differences in mineral composition.

A joint research team from several Chinese institutions published the first research paper on the Chang'e-6 lunar samples in the National Science Review on Tuesday. The paper not only filled a historical gap in the study of the Moon's far side, but also provided direct evidence for researching its early evolution.