Even before China landed its Chang’e-4 rover on the far side of Moon it knew energy would be the key to success. However, it had to turn to Russia for the radioisotope thermonuclear-generator batteries because it lacked the manufacturing skills. After the 300-pound rover trundled off the landing platform on January 3, 2019 it headed into unknown territory. Now breaking news reveals it may already have exceeded its mission’s wildest dreams.
Rover Discovers Mantle Rocks on the Far Side
The Chinese landed their rover in the vast Von Kármán crater impact depression formed billions of years ago. The asteroid created a crater 112 miles wide, however the depth has always been a mystery.
Moreover. satellite observations of the far side reveal lava flowed into the impact leaving the southern portion almost level. This surface reflects less solar radiation than the surrounding terrain suggesting it may be a different material. Most interestingly, the rover’s visible and near infrared spectrometer has found something unusual there. Its signals suggest the rocks contain low-calcium (ortho)pyroxene and olivine minerals.
Did the Asteroid Dive Into Moon’s Mantle?
Intriguingly, these minerals match what we might expect to find in Moon’s mantle if we could look. This intermediary layer surrounds a dense core of iron and other metals. Therefore, the asteroid could only have reached the mantle after penetrating the 30-mile deep crust.
This significant finding on the ‘dark side’ of Moon could shed light on the evolution of Earth’s companion. Scientists believe molten rock may have filled the hole after the impact. This further complicates our understanding of geology on the far side of Moon.
Patrick Pinet is an acknowledged expert in planetary geology and high spatial resolution imaging spectroscopy. He told science editor Paul Rincon the discovery “could have considerable implications for characterizing the composition of Moon’s upper mantle” while preparing for future sample-return missions.
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Preview Image: Chang’e-4 Landing Site
