A Chinese lunar probe returns to Earth with the world’s first samples from the far side of the moon

China’s Chang’e 6 probe returned to Earth on Tuesday with rock and soil samples from the little-explored far side of the moon in a global first. The probe landed in northern China on Tuesday afternoon.

Chinese scientists anticipate the returned samples will include 2.5-million-year-old volcanic rock and other material that scientists hope will answer questions about geographic differences on the moon’s two sides.