The Chinese spacecraft Chang'e-6 landed on the moon's far side this past Sunday, June 2, 2024. While the mission has been publicly reported as a mining expedition, previous landings have found more than minerals. In 2021, the Yutu 2 rover spotted an anomaly referred to as a “mystery hut”. For months people waited to find out that the hut was reported to be a simple rock. So why the intrigue?
First, this is the far side of the moon, the side we can’t see. It’s filled with craters, is colder than the earthside and it gets no reflective light from the earth.
Since the first moon landing in 1969 scientists have been monitoring the moon's reverberations after crafts land. For some reason, there is a measurable seismic reaction to anything landing on our favorite satellite planet. One popular theory is that there is some level of emptiness below the moon’s surface; the Hollow Moon theory. Here is where a belief that aliens could reside or have resided, below the surface having dug out a place to call home. The possibility of life on the moon is far from the only reason to be exploring it, especially the far side.
REMs, (rare earth metals) are abundant on the moon and in extremely high demand here on earth. Scandium and lanthanides for example are used in everything from smartphones to medical equipment. China, India, Japan, Russia, and the United States have all been working toward extracting lunar REMs while at the same time looking for ways to use all the elements of the moon to power the process. NASA has dubbed this modern day space-race “the Lunar Gold Rush.” While government programs and departments such as NASA may seem to be the drivers of interstellar colonialism, everything from mineral extraction to putting humans on Mars will likely be accomplished through private for-profit corporations. The Commercial Lunar Payload Services program (CLPS) has already approved companies to include Blue Origin and SpaceX for these endeavors.
Fifty-five years ago humanity accomplished the impossible, if just to prove it could be done, and who could do it. Today’s technology allows us to go beyond reaching the stars and collecting dust. Whatever the motivation may be, are we prepared for what we might find? I am sure the next question on all of your minds is, when we do, who will know about it? Maybe, we already have met our celestial neighbors and this latest space race comes on the heels of an invitation.
There are five moon missions/events planned for NASA for 2024 although none are currently destined for the far side of the moon.