Sign In
Learn bits
Science & Tech.
Mahesh

05/05/24 20:48 PM IST

Chang’e-6 mission

In News
  • Recently,China launched its second mission to the far side of the Moon.
  • If successful, it will be the world’s first mission to bring back samples from the part of the Moon that the Earth never gets to see.
Exploring Moon
  • The Moon’s far side is often referred to as the dark side because it cannot be seen from the Earth, not because it does not catch the Sun’s rays.
  • The Moon is tidally locked with the Earth and therefore, we see only one side of the Moon, also known as the near side.
  • The far side has been under the spotlight in recent years as it is very different from the near side.
  • It has a thicker crust, more craters and fewer maria, or plains where lava once flowed.
  • Examining the samples from the far side can help scientists solve mysteries about the origin and evolution of the Moon — till now, scientists have only been able to analyse samples from the near side.
Mission :aim & objectives
  • The Chang’e-6 is a 53-day-long mission.
  • After reaching the Moon’s orbit, the mission’s orbiter will circle the natural satellite while its lander will descend into the 2,500-kilometre-wide South Pole-Aitken basin on the lunar surface.
  • The impact that created the basin — among the largest in the history of the solar system — is thought to have dug up material from the lunar mantle.
  • If that material can be retrieved, scientists can learn more about the history of the Moon’s insides.
  • After collecting samples through scooping and drilling, the lander will launch an ascent vehicle, which will transfer the samples to the orbiter’s service module.
  • This module will then return to the Earth.
  • China is the only country to achieve a soft-landing on the far side of the Moon.
  • In 2019, its Chang’e-4 mission landed on the region and explored the Moon’s Von Karman crater with the help of a rover.
Source- Indian Express

More Related Current Affairs View All

21 Sep

A new White Revolution

'Operation Flood, launched in 1970, ushered in the White Revolution and transformed the dairy sector in India.' Dairy cooperatives procured 660 lakh kg of milk per day in 2023-2

Read More

21 Sep

Changes in Canada’s international work permit system

'Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced changes to the country’s international work permit system, aiming to reduce the number of immigrant workers in Canada.'

Read More

20 Sep

Cabinet clears setting up of National Centre of Excellence in Mumbai for Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality

'The Government has recently said that the Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comic (AVGC) sector has the potential to provide employment to over 20 lakh people in the coming 10

Read More

India’s First Ai-Driven Magazine Generator

Generate Your Custom Current Affairs Magazine using our AI in just 3 steps