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The Chang'e 6 capsule landed in the Chinese province of Inner Mongolia on Tuesday. CCTV Screenshot by NPR hide caption

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CCTV Screenshot by NPR

Space

China has just returned the first-ever samples from the far side of the moon

June 25, 2024 • The far side of the moon looks very different from the near side, and with the Chang'e 6 mission, scientists are hoping to learn why.

Chang'e 6 Sample Return

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50 years since the last Apollo astronauts went to the moon, NASA is finally going back

Orion's maximum distance from Earth was achieved on flight day 13, when it was 268,563 miles away. That's farther than any other spacecraft built for people--but only mannequins were on board. NASA/JSC hide caption

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NASA/JSC

Science

50 years since the last Apollo astronauts went to the moon, NASA is finally going back

December 7, 2022 • December 7, 1972 was the launch of the final mission in NASA's Apollo moon program. Fifty years later, NASA finally seems poised to return people to the lunar surface.

NASA's Orion capsule buzzes the moon in a last step before humans revisit lunar orbit

This screengrab from NASA TV shows NASA's Orion capsule, left, nearing the moon, right, on Monday. At center is Earth. NASA via AP hide caption

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NASA via AP

Space

NASA's Orion capsule buzzes the moon in a last step before humans revisit lunar orbit

November 21, 2022 • The close approach of 81 miles occurred as the crew capsule and its three wired-up dummies were on the far side of the moon. Astronauts will take Orion for a ride around the moon as early as 2024.