3D print the Chang'e 6 landing site on the far side of the Moon
The place where the first samples from the Moon's far side were collected, on one print: a lava plain at the southern edge of the Apollo basin, from elevation data measured by lunar orbiters.
Where it is 41.64°S 153.99°W The Moon · far side
- Landing
- June 1, 2024
- Site elevation
- 5,256 m (17,244 ft) below the Moon's reference level
- Apollo basin
- About 490 to 530 km (300 to 330 mi) across
- Basin named for
- NASA's Apollo missions
61 by 60 km of the Moon, 160 mm across
About Chang'e 6 landing site
China's Chang'e 6 landed on June 1, 2024 on a lava plain at the southern edge of the Apollo basin, a large impact basin on the far side of the Moon. NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter photographed the lander six days later, sitting on the rim of an old crater about 50 m (160 ft) across.
The mission returned the first samples ever collected from the Moon's far side. The Apollo basin, about 490 to 530 km (300 to 330 mi) across depending on the source, was named to honor NASA's Apollo missions.
Sources: LROC: Chang'e 6 on the far side, IAU Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature: Apollo, National Remote Sensing Bulletin: locating the Chang'e 6 landing site
