How can the same side of the moon always face earth? Does it not rotate?

Question

The fact that China just retrieved rocks from the dark side of the moon confuses me. Does the moon rotate in the same manner as Earth does so we never see the “dark” side of the moon?

In: Planetary Science

Answer 1

The moon is tidally locked. It rotates at the exact same rate as it orbits, which is why we always see the one side of it.