China just did what only two other countries have ever done before

[Mike Wehner]

• China's Chang'e 5 mission to the Moon rapidly accomplished the lofty goal of obtaining Moon rock samples and lifting them off of the lunar surface.
• Now, the samples have made their way back to Earth, and Chinese scientists will be studying their own Moon rocks for the very first time.
• Before China, only the United States and Russia had successfully retrieved rocks from the Moon, with the US being the only country to do so using a crewed mission.

China has moved at breakneck speed with its Chang'e 5 mission to the Moon. The Chinese space agency landed its hardware on the Moon on December 1st, and the four-part spacecraft performed exactly as expected, with the lander collecting lunar surface material and transferring it to the "ascender" unit.

Now, roughly two weeks after the mission arrived at the Moon, those precious lunar samples have arrived on Earth. China's state-run media announced that the returner spacecraft had delivered the sample capsule to its landing site in Inner Mongolia in the early morning hours of Thursday, completing an incredible mission and accomplishing something that only the United States and Russia have done before.

BGR's Top Deal of the Day​

FDA-authorized coronavirus masks that work better than 3M N95 masks are almost half off the regular $45 price at Amazon $25.49 Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

Continue reading...

Today's Top Deals

1. This hand sanitizer is proven to kill coronavirus – and it keeps working for hours after you use it
2. These are the best coronavirus face masks you can get at Amazon
3. Today’s best deals: $2 covid masks, $10 Echo Dot, Purell discounts, $7 Kasa smart plugs, MacBook Pro, Sony earbuds, more

Trending Right Now:

1. Dr. Fauci says this is the only way to ‘escape’ the coronavirus
2. Dr. Fauci says these 5 things can keep you from catching COVID-19
3. The next coronavirus vaccine is coming from Moderna, and here are its side effects

China just did what only two other countries have ever done before originally appeared on BGR.com on Wed, 16 Dec 2020 at 23:39:36 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Via BRG - Boy Genius Report