History is literally rocketing through space as China's Chang'e-6 mission completes a critical cosmic handoff! For the first time ever, samples from the moon's mysterious far side – think \"dark side\" vibes without the Pink Floyd soundtrack – are now en route to Earth after a flawless orbital rendezvous.
Here's the intergalactic delivery process that would make Amazon Prime jealous:
Moon Collection: The probe grabbed its celestial souvenirs after landing June 2, stashing them in a special container (space Tupperware, anyone?).
Cosmic Uber: The ascender module blasted off from the lunar surface Thursday like a SpaceX launch – but 380,000km from home.
Zero-G Handoff: At 2:48 PM Beijing Time, the samples did the ultimate space shuffle from ascender to returner module mid-lunar orbit.
Scientists worldwide are awaiting these samples that could unlock secrets about the moon's formation and Earth's early history. As the mission zips toward its Earth return later this month, one thing's clear – this is not your average moon rock collection!
Reference(s):
Unraveling Chang'e-6: Steps of lunar samples' journey back to Earth
cgtn.com