A new type of basaltic rock has been discovered on the surface of the moon, according to a report in the journal Nature Communications. The rock is rich in a black mineral called ilmenite, which contains a high percentage of iron titanium oxide¹ and has been found in other lunar rocks. The discovery was made by Chinese researchers operating the Chang’e-3 spacecraft², which landed on the moon in 2013 and was the first unmanned mission there since the Apollo and Luna explorations about 40 years ago. The researchers investigated the surface remotely using spectrometers. Chang’e-5, scheduled to land on the moon by 2017, is expected to bring samples of lunar soil and rock back to Earth.

自然通讯》(Nature Communications)的一篇报道称，月球表面上发现了一种新型的玄武岩。这种岩石中富含一种称为钛铁矿的黑色矿物，其中所含的氧化铁钛比例很高，月球上的其他岩石中也曾发现过这种矿物质。这一发现是中国研究人员通过“嫦娥三号”得出的，该飞船于2013年登月，是大约40年前美国“阿波罗”(Apollo)和苏联“月球”(Luna)进行月球探索活动以后，首次开展的无人月球探测任务。研究人员使用光谱仪对月球表面进行了远程研究。“嫦娥五号”预定于2017年登月，有望将月球土壤样本和岩石带回地球。