Chinese scientists analysing Chang’e 5 lunar rock samples find clues to moon’s past in super-hard material

Chinese scientists are offering new insights into the moon’s past by analysing the unique make-up of lunar samples returned by the country’s Chang’e 5 mission.

When an asteroid or comet crashed into the lunar surface 280 million years ago, it created pressures as high as 40 gigapascals – about 400,000 atmospheres – within a fraction of a second.