According to the latest research, the Moon's heavily cratered appearance is the result of "countless collisions with asteroids since its formation".
As part of NASA's Apollo 16 mission back in 1972, astronauts John Young, Charles Duke, and Ken Mattingly brought over 95 kg of samples from the lunar surface to the Earth. Analyzing those samples, researchers (particularly from the U.K. and the U.S.) have understood how the moon (precisely its surface) has changed over the past billions of years. The findings may also help the upcoming lunar missions in various ways.
The research study was led by Dr. Mark Nottingham from the University of Glasgow's School of Geographical & Earth Sciences. Researchers from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, the Catholic University of America and Birkbeck College, London are co-authors of the paper. It was recently published in the journal Meteoritics & Planetary Science.
The Apollo 16 mission was the 10th crewed mission by NASA under the Apollo space program. Astronauts John Young, Charles Duke, and Ken Mattingly had an extended stay on the lunar surface (in the Descartes Highlands) as part of it, and returned to Earth with more than 95 kg of samples.
The evolution of the Moon.
— Black Hole (@konstructivizm) September 13, 2024
4.5 billion years in 2 minutes.
Credit: NASA Goddard pic.twitter.com/RNa6iXWKux
Credit: Domenico
Those samples from the lunar surface contained regolith breccias which form when moon dust is fused into rock by asteroid collisions. The researchers studied these breccias extensively to find out exactly when and how they were formed. Also, using analytical mass spectrometry techniques, they studied soil-like breccias for the first time. As Dr. Nottingham said in his statement, "Mass spectrometry, which identifies molecules in samples and quantifies their relative abundance, can help us determine how much time the samples spent exposed on or near the moon's surface. That helps give us a clearer idea of the history of impacts on this particular area of the moon."
The researchers were provided with 11 different kinds of samples for their analysis. These were separated into two groups - nine ancient (between 3.8 and 2.4 billion years old) and two young (between 2.5 and 1.7 billion years old).
Well, the findings reshaped our understanding of how the lunar surface has changed over the past (at least 2) billions of years - thanks to solar winds and asteroid collisions. As Dr. Nottingham said in his statement, "Over the course of the samples' time on the surface of the moon as regolith, they were exposed to varying amounts of solar wind—charged particles flowing from the sun which also carry traces of noble gases like argon and xenon—which built up on the outer layers of their mineral grains for millions of years before they were struck by an asteroid."
"The moon's history is the Earth's history too—the record of asteroid bombardments etched on its face and under its surface can help us understand the conditions of the early solar system which formed our planet as well as its closest neighbor. Unlike the Earth, however, the moon's history is locked in geological time capsules on its surface, untouched by plate tectonics or erosion, which allows us to use cutting-edge technology like mass spectrometry to unlock their secrets."
47 years ago....On April 21st,1972 #Apollo 16 Commander #RIP John Young drives the Apollo 16 lunar rover on the surface of the moon in an event he later called a "Lunar Grand Prix". pic.twitter.com/rxA7mLzjFO
— Domenico (@AvatarDomy) April 21, 2019
Credit: Black Hole
Analyzing both the ancient and young rocks, the researchers are all set to develop a comprehensive picture of lunar history, especially during the early solar system.
As already mentioned, these findings are expected to help the upcoming manned lunar missions in several ways. Especially, NASA's Artemis program (to establish long-term human habitats on the moon) can benefit enormously from them.
A major challenge for Artemis (or any other upcoming manned lunar mission) is finding out how natural resources can be used for long-term stay on the moon. The recent findings provide valuable information about where and how abundantly useful resources, such as noble gases, can be found in the lunar regolith.
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