On Tuesday, a capsule carrying soil from the far side of the moon will parachute into the desert in China's Inner Mongolia region. The sample, retrieved by the Chinese National Space Administration's Chang'e-6 lander, is expected to be the latest accomplishment in a series of near-flawless executions of Chinese lunar exploration missions since 2007.
According to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, the Chang'e-6 sample return capsule is expected to land at 1:41 a.m. Eastern time, which is 1:41 p.m. local time in the Siziwang Banner area of Inner Mongolia, a region in northern China.
Don't call it the dark side of the moon, for starters it gets plenty of sunlight. But when you look up at the sky from Earth, you only ever see one side of the moon, the near side.
Its face is blotched with wide, dark plains where ancient lava once flowed. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.
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