Space enthusiasts are giddy with excitement as China’s lunar probe has returned to Earth carrying the first-ever samples from the far side of the moon, weighing about 2kg. Scientists are hanging out to get their hands on the soil and rocks from the Chang’e-6 as they may contain traces of ice, which can be harvested for water, oxygen, and hydrogen to reveal secrets about how planets are formed. The re-entry capsule landed in Inner Mongolia and is being transported to researchers in Beijing. The trip was China’s 6th to the lunar surface and its second to the distant and mysterious far side, which faces away from Earth. Experts have hailed it as “a great achievement” due to the tricky nature of the 2-month mission. China’s President Xi Jinping called to congratulate the team behind the mission and said he hopes they can carry on exploring deep space.