China’s Chang’e -6 lunar mission is currently conducting research and development work as planned, with the launch     1     (schedule) for around 2024.

The Chang’e -5 mission is tasked with bringing back samples from the far side of the moon. To date, all 10 lunar sampling missions conducted by humans     2     (take) place on the near side of the moon. The far side is generally much     3     (old) and contains the Aitken Basin, one of the three major lunar landforms, making     4     scientifically valuable.

The pre-selected landing area for the Chang’e -5 mission is the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon,     5     the goal of discovering and collecting lunar samples from different regions and ages     6     (deepen) human understanding of the moon.

To ensure smooth communication between the spacecraft     7     the earth, China has developed the Queqiao -2 relay communication satellite, which     8     (plan) to be launched in the first half of 2024.

China is also developing the International Lunar Research Station,     9     (eager) hoping to attract more international partners to expand the boundaries of human knowledge and contribute to the peaceful use of space and the     10     (construct) of a community with a shared future for mankind.

NASA is planning its first ever mission to bring dirt and rocks from Mars back to Earth, but before that historical event happens, the space agency has to figure out     1     (exact) how to protect our home planet from any alien microbes (微生物) that might come along.

This week, the agency is holding public meetings and looking for feedback on its plan     2     (land) a spacecraft carrying Martian specimens at a U.S. Air Force testing range in Utah in the early 2030s.

“Maybe this is the most important environmental     3     (assess) that humans have ever done,” says Peter Doran, a geologist at Louisiana State University who studies life in extreme environments. Having a rock sample from Mars here on Earth would let researchers run detailed lab tests to look for evidence of     4     this cold, harsh, rocky world was once habitable (可居住的) or maybe even inhabited.

For researchers, this is     5     long-held dream. Discussion about such a mission     6     (go) on for decades, and it will cost billions of dollars to accomplish. Until recently, there hasn’t been a lot of focus on the details of the sample return facility because     7     (science) didn’t think it was going to happen.

NASA officials are working out a plan to safely collect the samples: A spacecraft would land on Mars and launch a container full of the previously     8     (collect) rock samples into orbit around the planet. Once in orbit, this container could be swallowed by another container—    9     a big fish eating a little fish—to keep anything that had touched Mars inside and then it would     10     (seal).