The return of Chang'e-6 has brought us lunar soil samples from the Aitken Basin on the far side of the unfamiliar Moon.
Why did the United States, the Soviet Union, and other countries land on the moon and probes in this mysterious area? Even when Chang'e-6 departed, it was ridiculed by the current NASA administrator Bill Nelson that "the far side of the moon is forever in darkness, and the Americans don't plan to go there." ”
And now I don't know if the Americans are forgetful, or if they said this earlier out of some kind of mentality. As China's Chang'e-6 is about to return, NASA has released a set of photos of Chang'e-6 on the far side of the moon. This is indeed a bit surprising, and some netizens even wonder if NASA has been monitoring China's lunar exploration activities! Or is it what the United States wants to attack Chang'e-6? Or do you want to have an idea about a lunar soil sample on the far side of the moon? Of course, even if it is a monitoring behavior, it will not affect the smooth return of Chang'e-6!
Let's go back to lunar exploration itself.
There is a super crater on the moon called the Aitken Basin, how big is it? It's like a super big pox pit on the face of the moon! But don't underestimate this "pox pit", there is a big secret behind it that the moon was formed!
In the eyes of geologists who study the formation of the moon, the Moon's Aitken Basin is considered to be the most likely result of a "great impact" that the moon suffered when it first formed. It can be understood that when the moon was just formed, a huge celestial body suddenly crashed into it with a bang, knocking a big hole in the south side of the moon. This impact not only gave the moon an additional "big pox crater", but also affected the internal structure of the moon, causing great changes in the interior of its "body".
This Aitken Basin is amazingly large! It has a diameter of almost 2,500 kilometers and occupies almost half of the face of the moon! Moreover, it also includes a large area of the south pole and the far side of the moon, which can be said to be the largest, deepest, and oldest impact crater on the moon. Scientists have high hopes for a deeper understanding of how the moon formed and how it evolved.
Why is the south pole of the moon so attractive to scientists? One of the reasons is that there may be water there!
You heard it right, it's water!
In the past, human probes conducted impact experiments in a crater at the south pole of the moon, and the results detected abundant water content. This means that the south pole of the moon may have the water ice resources we need! That's great news! In the future, if we build a base on the moon, the South Pole region is definitely an ideal location. Therefore, the exploration of the south pole of the moon in the world is now a hot topic! There are good reasons to be interested in lunar soil, the first sample of lunar soil from the far side of the moon!
On the occasion of the return of Chang'e-6 sampling, China's Chang'e-7 mission is also about to make its debut!
The Chang'e-7 mission is scheduled to be launched around 2026, and the landing site is also at the south pole of the moon, starting a new adventure! The Chang'e-7 mission plan is not simple, it will take a comprehensive survey of the environment at the south pole of the moon to see if there is a precious resource such as water ice hidden in the lunar soil. It's a big challenge, but it's also a super exciting adventure!
Of course, like the Chang'e-6 mission, the Chang'e-7 mission is not alone! It will bring some international friends with it! Previous Chang'e-6 missions have carried international payloads from ESA, France, Italy, Pakistan and other countries to conduct scientific exploration. This multinational approach will not only promote the development of lunar exploration technology, but also allow us to understand the mysteries of the moon and deep space more deeply.
During the Chang'e-7 mission, the Egyptian Space Agency and the National Space Science Agency of Bahrain jointly developed a hyperspectral imager, which will be carried on the Chang'e-7 orbiter to image and analyze lunar surface materials. This is like equipping Chang'e-7 with a "super magnifying glass" to make its detection capability to a higher level!
The big "pox crater" at the south pole of the moon is a treasure place! In addition to the big secret of the formation of the moon, it may also contain valuable resources that we need. Now that the whole world is working hard for lunar exploration, Chang'e-7 will continue the scientific research of Chang'e-6 and start a new adventure again!