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A Chinese research team named two new lunar minerals this year before May. Was it just good fortune? The scientists argue the "luck" is only part of the story. The bigger drivers are clear research goals and the technical expertise to identify minerals hidden in microscopic grains. They also credit this advantage: Chang'e missions bringing back samples that make long-term, systematic and repeatable work possible. The same group has used these samples to test big ideas like the moon's early "magma ocean" – and they say there's far more to come.

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Lucky moon dust? How Chang'e samples change the odds