China's Chang'e-4 Mission Finds Gel-Like Substance On The Far Side Of The Moon [View all]

[Judi Lynn]

1 September 2019, 10:45 am EDT By Allan Adamson Tech Times



China’s Chang'e-4 mission found a gel-like substance with unusual color while exploring the far side of the moon. It made the discovery during lunar day 8, which started on July 25. ( John Gibson | Pixabay )


China's Chang'e-4 mission on the far side of the moon has made a strange discovery. The smaller lunar rover Yutu-2 found a gel-like substance with an unusual color.

Gel-Like Substance With Unusual Color
Yutu-2 made the unusual find during lunar day 8, which started on July 25. A lunar day is equal to 14 days on Earth.

Mission team members who were checking images as seen by the rover's main camera found a small crater with what appears to be a material with color and luster different from the surrounding surface.

The find prompted mission scientists to cancel other exploration plans for the rover and focus on studying the strange material.

Yutu-2 approached the crater with the strange substance and examined the area with its Visible and Near-Infrared Spectrometer (VNIS), an instrument used to detect scattered light or light reflected off of materials to reveal their makeup.

More:
https://www.techtimes.com/articles/245192/20190901/chinas-change-4-mission-finds-gel-like-substance-on-the-far-side-of-the-moon.htm