Sample Success! Chang'e 5 lifts off from the Moon

 China's Chang'e 5 mission, which lifted off to the moon on Nov. 23, has so far met with great success. As planned, the lander settled down safely near Mons Rümker in the Ocean of Storms then drilled and collected samples of lunar soil and rock. These were stored inside the ascent vehicle which successfully launched to lunar orbit on Dec. 3. After it docks with the sample-return orbiter the pair will leave orbit and head back to Earth. The samples will land in Inner Mongolia on Dec. 15, the first returned to Earth in 44 years.

This panoramic view of the lunar surface was made by the Chang'e 5 spacecraft. Click here for a high resolution photo that you can explore right down to the nitty-gritty. CNSA

It's all happening so fast it makes me wonder why the U.S. and Russia aren't jutting off to the moon more often. Of course, U.S. priorities are focused on the crewed Artemis III lunar mission, set to touch down on the moon in October 2024. Likewise, the Chinese have big plans for an eventual crewed landing sometime in the late 2020s after additional robotic missions set up a lunar research base.

On the topic of sample-returns, it must be Christmas because the Japanese Hayabusa-2 spacecraft is also returning soil and rocks from its recent mission to the asteroid Ryugu. The capsule containing the precious dust will land at the Woomera Test Range in Australia on Dec. 6. I'll have an update this Sunday.

I photographed last night's (Dec. 3) waning gibbous moon by holding my smartphone over the telescope eyepiece. If you've been out "moonwalking" the past few nights you've probably seen or sensed that its light is diminished compared to the time of full moon. Bob King

All this renewed interest in visiting the moon makes me want to get out tonight for another moonwalk under the waning gibbous.

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