00:00 [Music]
00:03 This video was recently sent back to Earth from the Moon,
00:06 but NASA had nothing to do with this mission.
00:08 It was captured by China's Chang'e 6 lunar probe,
00:11 all part of their latest successful lunar mission,
00:14 to land on the far side of the Moon.
00:16 The lander has now made its home in the South Pole Aitken Basin,
00:19 the largest impact crater on the face of Earth's only natural satellite.
00:22 The lunar craft has just begun relaying data back to mission controllers on Earth,
00:27 but this is only the start to an intensely complicated 52-day mission.
00:31 The craft is set to start collecting samples from this unexplored area of the dark side of the Moon.
00:36 That collection effort is supposed to last just two days,
00:39 before the craft will attempt a remote launch and return those samples home.
00:43 The untold secrets these samples hold about the Moon's composition
00:46 are of great import to scientists,
00:48 as the far side of the lunar surface is less covered in ancient lava flows.
00:53 Experts say this could tell us a whole lot more about how the Moon was formed in the first place,
00:57 shedding some light on our orbital partner.
00:59 China has a similar timeline as NASA for putting human boots back on lunar soil once again,
01:04 hoping to do so by 2030.
01:06 They are also looking to set up a Moon base as well,
01:09 following no doubt more successful missions in the near future.
01:13 (upbeat music)
01:15 (upbeat music)
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