China's Chang'e 5 moon mission has successfully returned to Earth, becoming the third nation to bring home lunar samples.
According to CNBC, it was the first time for China to fulfill such achievement while the Asian country became the third nation to retrieve lunar samples after the U.S. and the Soviet Union in the 1960s and 1970s, respectively.
The Australian test found traces of gas, but researchers were unsure of its source. Meanwhile, the Japanese team of scientists conducted mass spectrometry of the collected gas while results indicated different atmospheric compositions compared to the gases on Earth. This confirmed that these samples are the first gas material taken from deep space. Soon, scientists will conduct a detailed analysis of the collected gas' isotopic and molecular composition.
JAXA launched the Hayabusa2 spacecraft in 2014 to chase a distant asteroid named Ryugu. Hayabusa2 finally reached its destination in June 2018 and continued to observe Ryugu for one and a half years. Then, on November 19, 2019, the spacecraft began its journey returning to Earth with the samples after six years in space.
Related article: Hayabusa2's 'Treasure Box' Containing Samples From Asteroid Ryugu is Finally Opened
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Written by CJ Robles
