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A Chinese flag has been planted on the surface of the moon, making it the second nation to leave a permanent memory.
Images released by the Chinese National Space Administration show the flag, which was specially designed to survive on the lunar surface.
It was placed there by the unmanned space probe Chang’e-5, which was returning to Earth last night after collecting rock samples.
Experts hope the mission will help shed light on how the Moon has evolved and where the water sources come from.
The solar-powered probe spent 48 hours on the surface, collecting samples that will be examined by scientists – the first time this has happened since a Soviet spacecraft returned the rocks in the 1970s.
(Image: Getty)
Although China has previously sent two missions to the moon, it has never left a permanent flag on the surface.
Up until this week, the United States was the only country to have done so.
Project leader Cheng Chang told Chinese state media that the flag needed to be adapted to withstand the cold.
“A normal national flag on Earth would not survive the harsh lunar environment,” said project developer Cheng.
Officials said it will serve as a reminder of the “excitement and inspiration” of the US Apollo missions, which saw Neil Armstrong become the first astronaut to land on the moon in 1969.
The Chinese space agency says it plans to put a human on the moon around 2030.
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