Ancient Moon Impact May Have Exposed Mantle Rocks Near Future Artemis Landing Sites
Summary
Scientists from the Center for Lunar Origin and Evolution (a virtual NASA organization led by Southwest Research Institute) have studied materials excavated by the ancient impact that created the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin on the Moon's far side. Two complementary studies found that the SPA basin's surrounding area contains mantle-derived rocks, offering insights into the Moon's interior and earliest history. These findings are particularly significant because proposed landing sites for upcoming Artemis missions to the lunar south pole lie within this region, meaning future astronauts may be able to explore rocks blasted from deep inside the Moon by this ancient giant impact.
Source
bskyAncient Moon Impact May Have Exposed Mantle Rocks Near Future Artemis Landing Sitesscitechdaily.comKey quotes
· 3 pulledThe South Pole-Aitken basin is a massive structure on the Moon's far side, and materials excavated by the impact that created it offer information about the interior of the Moon and its earliest history.
Two complementary studies determined that SPA's surrounding area contains mantle-derived rocks, offering information about the interior of the Moon and its earliest history.
Proposed landing sites for upcoming Artemis missions to the lunar south pole lie within the region, allowing astronauts to potentially explore these ancient materials.
You might also wanna read
NASA's Artemis II Crew Returns; Science Teams Analyze Data from Lunar Mission
NASA's Artemis II crew safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on April 10 after a record-setting mission around the Moon. Since then, sci
go.nasa.gov·2d ago
NASA's Artemis II Mission Concludes with Successful Pacific Ocean Splashdown
NASA's Artemis II mission successfully concluded with the Orion spacecraft splashing down in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego after a histor
cbsnews.com·2mo ago
Experts call for more realistic lunar art as NASA's Artemis program advances
As NASA's Artemis program prepares to return humans to the moon, experts are calling for more accurate and realistic artistic depictions of
space.com·12d ago
North Pole Dome in Western Australia confirmed as oldest known asteroid impact site at 3.02 billion years old
Scientists have confirmed that the North Pole Dome rock formation in Western Australia's Pilbara region is the oldest known asteroid impact
space.com·9d ago
How NASA's Surveyor Missions Paved the Way for Moon Landings and the Artemis Program
The article discusses the Surveyor missions as the precursor to human lunar landings, highlighting how these robotic missions paved the way
jpl.nasa.gov·15d ago
Comments
Sign in to join the conversation.
No comments yet. Be the first.