Category: Solar System

China’s lunar sample collection mission Chang’e 6 has made history by successfully touching down on the far side of the moon, and it even sent back a stunning video of its landing. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) probe arrived at the moon on Sunday (June 2_ at 6:23 a.m. Beijing Time, which was 6:23 p.m. on Saturday (June 1) EDT (2223 UTC). The video footage was filmed by the Chang’e-6 lander’s landing camera. It shows the spacecraft’s close approach to the lunar surface as well as its touchdown. The…

The secrets of the supernova star explosions could be hidden in dust scattered across the moon — and a team of scientists from the China Institute of Atomic Energy (CIAE) has devised a new way of unlocking those stellar death clues. The research could help scientists obtain a clearer picture of how stars die and provide material for the next generation of stars, planets, moons, and sometimes even life — at least, when it comes to Earth.  The technique hinges on the improved detection of a rare iron isotope found…

This week, two more nations signed the Artemis Accords. NASA held a ceremony at its headquarters in Washington, D.C. on Thursday (May 30) to host representatives from both Slovakia and Peru. During the event, both countries signed the agency’s Artemis Accords, a set of principles that aims to lay out a framework for peaceful cooperation in space and on the moon.  The addition of these two nations brings the total of signing countries to 42. The Artemis Accords were first launched and signed in October 2020 by eight nations, including…

No matter how long humans have looked up and stared at the moon — and despite the number of  satellites we’ve sent up to observe it — our maps of its terrain still hit a resolution limit. Yet, scientists want to continually push that limit — and it appears they’ve made some headway. Related: Safety comes 1st for Artemis moon missions despite ‘space race’ with China, NASA chief says A new study has enlisted the help of algorithms to automate parts of a method used to reconstruct terrain data from…