First moon rocks on Earth in half a century arrive in UK

"Wait a minute. Are you looking at this rock? It has 3.6 billion years. We're just going through here."

Tracing the Moon's Geological History with LUGO

Some parts of the Moon are more interesting than others, especially when searching for future places for humans to land and work. There are also some parts of the Moon that we know less about than others, such as the Irregular Mare Patches (IMPs) that dot the landscape. We know very little about how they were formed, and what that might mean for the history of the Moon itself. A new mission, called the LUnar Geology Orbiter (LUGO), aims to colle…

First moon rocks on Earth since 1976 arrive safely in UK

The first sample of moon dust to arrive on Earth in nearly 50 years has landed safely in Milton Keynes, on loan from China.

First moon rocks on Earth in half a century arrive in UK

A professor from The Open University is just one of seven international scientists trusted by China to take the moon rocks away and study them. They are the first moon rocks brought to Earth since the last Soviet Luna mission of 1976.

Indian-origin scientist in UK receives ultra-rare, 'world’s first' moon dust from China

UK researchers begin analysing lunar dust from China’s Chang’e 5 mission to uncover secrets of the Moon’s origin and Earth’s early history.

China sends moon dust 'rarer than gold' to UK

The UK has received its first sample of Moon rock in nearly 50 years, after China loaned a vial of lunar dust to Professor Mahesh Anand’s lab in Milton Keynes. The 60mg sample, locked inside a safe in a high-security facility, was collected by China’s Chang’e 5 mission in 2020. It is the first lunar material to reach Earth since the Soviet Luna 24 mission in 1976. “This is more precious than gold dust,” said Prof Anand, who is the only UK scient…