China's Lunar Rover Finds a Strange Substance on the Moon

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Michael Watson

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Message 2010067 - Posted: 30 Aug 2019, 23:57:19 UTC

China's Chang'e-4 mission rover, called Yutu-2, has discovered a strange substance in a small crater on the Moon. It is described as having an unusual color and sheen, unlike other Lunar materials, and as appearing 'gel-like'. The rover was moved in and examined the substance with its spectrograph. No word, yet on what this analysis revealed. It has been suggested by others that lunar material might have been fused into a glassy substance by a meteorite impact. It should be interesting to learn what this substance actually is.

Please find a link to an article with further details, below:

https://www.space.com/china-far-side-moon-rover-strange-substance.html
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Message 2010267 - Posted: 1 Sep 2019, 1:57:03 UTC

The reason why the strange material found on the far side of the Moon was described as gel-like, rather than as glassy is not altogether clear. Perhaps the material was transparent, as gels often are, or of a color not expected to be seen in natural glass created by a meteorite impact. Natural meteoric glass-- moldavites and Libyan desert glass-- are typically green or yellow-green in color, and not transparent.
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Message 2010273 - Posted: 1 Sep 2019, 2:44:17 UTC

https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/change4-moon-mystery-substance/

China’s Chang’e 4 mission is currently exploring one of the lesser-known areas of the moon — the far side, which faces away from Earth. Previously it found minerals which may have come from deep beneath the lunar surface, and now it has found something even stranger: An oddly-colored “gel-like” substance of unknown origin.

ᴡᴇ ᴅᴀʀᴇsᴀʏ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀsᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪᴛ ɪs ғɪɴɪᴛᴇ ʏᴇᴛ ᴡᴇ ᴅᴀʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ғᴜᴛᴜʀᴇ ɪs.
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Message 2010308 - Posted: 1 Sep 2019, 8:05:22 UTC

https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/change4-moon-mystery-substance/

Clickified your link.

Fascinating, the description implies both colour and texture are "novel" on the moon.
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Message 2010333 - Posted: 1 Sep 2019, 14:42:23 UTC

My first thought was "Oh No! They found The Blob!"
Blob as in the 1958 horror movie.
ᴡᴇ ᴅᴀʀᴇsᴀʏ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀsᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪᴛ ɪs ғɪɴɪᴛᴇ ʏᴇᴛ ᴡᴇ ᴅᴀʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ғᴜᴛᴜʀᴇ ɪs.
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Message boards : Science (non-SETI) : China's Lunar Rover Finds a Strange Substance on the Moon


 
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