China national museum to exhibit lunar samples

BEIJING -- The National Museum of China on Tuesday announced that it would exhibit the lunar samples brought back by China's Chang'e 5 probe.

The samples arrived at the museum on Monday and the exhibition is under preparation, according to the museum. They are preserved in a delicate container made of artificial crystal.

Designed in the shape of a Zun, a traditional Chinese bronze ware, the container is 38.44 cm high and 22.89 cm wide. The size refers to the average distance between the Earth and the moon of 384,400 km and the 22.89-day-long lunar probe task, respectively.

The return capsule of the Chang'e 5 probe landed on Dec 17, retrieving about 1,731 grams of lunar samples.