In a groundbreaking scientific achievement, the European team collaborating with the Negative Ions at the Lunar Surface (NILS) instrument has confirmed the success of the Chang’e-6 mission aboard China’s spacecraft.
The mission ventured to the moon’s far side, an unexplored region that has fascinated scientists for decades. Within just over 48 hours, the Chang’e-6 lunar lander efficiently collected samples from the moon’s hidden side, marking a historic milestone.
During its brief visit, the lander deployed scientific payloads, including the European Space Agency’s (ESA) NILS instrument. This device, designed to detect negative ions, exceeded mission requirements by collecting over three hours of data. It was ESA’s first activity on the moon, a world-first scientific, and a significant step in lunar cooperation between Europe and China.
Negative ions, due to their short lifespan, cannot reach orbit. Therefore, European scientists operated the NILS instrument near the lunar surface—a pioneering feat for a particle detector. Martin Wieser, NILS principal investigator at the Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF), emphasized that these observations would enhance our understanding of the moon’s surface environment and serve as a pathfinder for studying negative ion populations in other airless celestial bodies within our solar system.
The discovery of a novel plasma component on the lunar surface opens up fresh opportunities for space physics research and future human and robotic lunar exploration efforts. As Chang’e-6 embarks on its journey back to Earth, carrying precious samples from the moon’s far side, scientists eagerly await further insights that could reshape our understanding of our celestial neighbor.
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