China's Chang'e-5-lunar mission provides scientists with new insights into Moon's hidden interior
Beijing/Canberra, May 12 (UNI) Tiny green glass beads collected by China's Chang'e-5 lunar mission are providing scientists with unprecedented insights into the Moon's hidden interior, according to Chinese and Australian researchers on Monday.
Unlike typical lunar glass formed by surface impacts, these beads contain unusually high levels of magnesium, which was evidence of a potentially deeper origin, said a press release from Australia's Curtin University.
"These high-magnesium glass beads may have formed when an asteroid smashed into rocks that originated from the mantle deep within the Moon," said Alexander Nemchin of Curtin's School of Earth and Planetary Sciences.
"This is exciting, because we've never sampled the mantle directly before: the tiny glass beads offer us a glimpse of the Moon's hidden interior," said Nemchin, one of the authors of the joint study published in Science Advances.
Co-author Tim Johnson, Nemchin's colleague, said the composition of the beads differs markedly from previously studied lunar materials, suggesting they may have surfaced during the formation of the Imbrium Basin, a massive impact crater over 3 billion years old.
"Remote sensing has shown the area around the basin's edge contains the kind of minerals that match the glass bead chemistry," Johnson said, adding if these samples are indeed from the mantle, it confirms that giant impacts can bring deep, otherwise inaccessible material to the surface -- a major breakthrough in understanding the Moon's geological evolution.
Lead author Wang Xiaolei from China's Nanjing University said the discovery could shape future Moon missions.
Uncovering the Moon's interior structure helps us compare it with Earth and other planets, and better plan robotic or crewed exploration, Wang said.
UNI/XINHUA ANV RN
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It is working on a "military space doctrine" that will be brought out in a few months, amid China continuing to develop weapons - direct ascent anti-satellite missiles, co-orbital satellites and electronic warfare - to contest or deny access to warfare has evolved from a theoretical concept, and the stuff found in science fiction, into a critical component of modern military strategy. As of 2025, nations like the United States, Russia, China, and India have developed sophisticated capabilities to leverage, defend, and contest space warfare encompasses military strategies and operations conducted in or through outer space. 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If implemented, it would become the world's first active combat infrastructure deployed in orbit, fundamentally altering the nature of space earlier space systems that were passive -- satellites for communication, navigation or surveillance -- the Golden Dome envisions satellites equipped with sensors, interceptors and potentially directed-energy weapons such as lasers. These platforms would neutralize threats in their boost or mid-course phases, forming a constant orbital shield over the US and its argue this is the next logical step in deterrence, especially in an age of hypersonic missiles and unpredictable adversaries. However, the plan has triggered intense concern globally, with rivals such as Russia and China warning that it could dangerously destabilize strategic balance. The most serious worry is that the Golden Dome undermines the principle of Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD), a cornerstone of nuclear deterrence. 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