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China's Chang'e-4 lunar rover has discovered an unusually colored, "gel-like" substance during its exploration activities on the far side of the moon.
The mission's rover, Yutu-2, stumbled on that surprise during lunar day 8. The discovery prompted scientists on the mission to postpone other driving plans for the rover, and instead focus its instruments on trying to figure out what the strange material is.
[...] So far, mission scientists haven't offered any indication as to the nature of the colored substance and have said only that it is "gel-like" and has an "unusual color." One possible explanation, outside researchers suggested, is that the substance is melt glass created from meteorites striking the surface of the moon.
Yutu-2's discovery isn't scientists' first lunar surprise, however. Apollo 17 astronaut and geologist Harrison Schmitt discovered orange-colored soil near the mission's Taurus-Littrow landing site in 1972, prompting excitement from both Schmitt and his moonwalk colleague, Gene Cernan. Lunar geologists eventually concluded that the orange soil was created during an explosive volcanic eruption 3.64 billion years ago.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by RS3 on Monday September 02 2019, @03:48PM (4 children)
Maybe it got ejected from an Apollo capsule while orbiting the moon?
(Score: 2) by Common Joe on Thursday September 05 2019, @03:45AM (3 children)
That wouldn't be gel like. The low pressure and temperatures outside the range of 0 - 100 degrees C would ensure any water would have boiled away. That would be very much solid. I'm very curious what would be so gel like in these conditions.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Thursday September 05 2019, @04:35AM (2 children)
My post was supposed to be funny- something struck me as sarcastically funny that the Chinese would go to all the trouble to send a rover to the "dark side" of the moon, only to find US astronaut poop from 50 years ago.
But I'm honored that some considered it to have merit.
I like the suggestion FTFA that it could be molten and re-solidified rock / silicon dioxide.
(Score: 2) by Common Joe on Thursday September 05 2019, @08:23AM (1 child)
I was replying to you, black6host, and the people who marked your comment as interesting. Sometimes I have trouble understanding humor and sarcasm, but I think we all got a little muddled this time.
To be honest, I wonder how the Chinese know that it is "gel" which implies it is not fully solid. They can't exactly poke it with a finger and I don't think they have a solid-liquid detection device on there. On the dark side of the moon in extremely low pressure, pretty much everything should be solid, so this "news" certainly has me curious as to how they determined this. I know I can't be the only one.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Thursday September 05 2019, @01:01PM
I try to not use sarcasm, unless it's obvious. Oops, well, obvious to me! I get it wrong, both ways, too. I don't have the verbal skills that some people do. Hopefully this is good practice, not reinforcing bad habits. :0
I don't know if the Chinese released pics yet, but when I read the article, I got a mental picture of a shiny somewhat uneven puddle, almost like glass poured out onto sand.
I don't know much about their rover, but maybe it has a poking stick (and that's not sarcasm, just a silly description of a probe).