What can be revealed from the samples brought by China from the dark side of the moon?
Chinese scientists will soon begin analyzing samples brought from the moon's south pole.
A 1.935 kg sample collected from the dark side of the Moon was delivered to Earth by a capsule of the Chang'e 6 mission on June 25, making China the first country in the world to do so.
These samples of the moon's south pole have been preserved in the Chinese Academy of Sciences, where researchers will try to understand the history of the moon and the secrets of the solar system.
The China National Space Administration said in a statement on June 28 that the first samples of the dark side of the moon have unique scientific significance.
According to the statement, this will help us understand the evolution of the moon while also speeding up the process of exploring the moon and exploiting its resources.
Note that this part of the moon is not called dark because there is no light, but because there are no details about it, it is called dark or hidden.
So what is the significance of these patterns?
This region of the Moon is not visible from Earth and is quite different from the bright side.
That is why it is believed that the geological history of this region of the moon will be different from the bright side and that much can be known about the moon's past there.
In the past, American and Russian missions focused more on the bright side of the Moon.
China's Chang'e-4 was the first mission to land on the dark side of the moon in 2018, but it was not sent to retrieve samples.
This is why the samples brought back by the Chang'e 6 mission are so important because they are from a part of the moon that humans know nothing about and expect to find a lot there.
The samples were collected in the Aitken Basin, a region of the moon's south pole, and scientists hope they will provide insights into the moon's formation, geological history and other space events.
These details will help space agencies to build human bases on the moon as they will know about the resources on the lunar surface.
Similarly, the opportunity to uncover the secrets of the history of volcanic activity on the Moon can be found when samples contain volcanic rock or other evidence.
Another important potential finding could be the presence of water in these samples.
Well, the moon is considered dry, but recent missions have discovered traces of water on its surface.
The presence of water in the dark side of the Moon will be important for future missions and help establish human bases there.