Science News Roundup: China completes lunar sample collection ahead of schedule; Bezos' Blue Origin taps former Pentagon, NASA officials for new advisory board and more

China successfully lands spacecraft on moon to retrieve lunar rocks China successfully landed a spacecraft on the moon's surface on Tuesday in a historic mission to retrieve lunar surface samples, Chinese state media reported.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

China completes lunar sample collection ahead of schedule

China's Chang'e-5 lunar vehicle has finished collecting samples of lunar rocks and soil more than a day ahead of schedule in the first lunar sample retrieval mission since the 1970s, the country's space agency said on Thursday. The robotic vehicle has stored the samples and will now dock with the orbiting Chang'e-5 for the return journey to Earth.

Massive Puerto Rico telescope featured in James Bond movie collapses

A massive radio telescope at Puerto Rico's Arecibo Observatory - one of the world's largest - collapsed on Tuesday after sustaining severe damage since August, officials said, following 57 years of astronomical discoveries. The deteriorating telescope's 900-ton instrument platform, suspended by cables 450 feet (137 meters) above a 1,000-foot-wide (305 meters) bowl-shaped reflector dish, fell on Tuesday morning, the U.S. National Science Foundation said.

No injuries were reported, it added. China successfully lands spacecraft on moon to retrieve lunar rocks

China successfully landed a spacecraft on the moon's surface on Tuesday in a historic mission to retrieve lunar surface samples, Chinese state media reported. China launched its Chang'e-5 probe on Nov. 24. The uncrewed mission, named after the mythical Chinese goddess of the moon, aims to collect lunar material to help scientists learn more about the moon's origins.

Bezos' Blue Origin taps former Pentagon, NASA officials for new advisory board

Blue Origin said on Tuesday it formed a new advisory board of former Pentagon and NASA officials, as billionaire Jeff Bezos' space company vies for lucrative government contracts and readies its first orbital rocket for debut next year. The seven-person board will "provide strategic counsel on the company's mission to radically reduce the cost of access to space and the utilization of in-space resources," the Kent, Washington-based company said in a press release.