The Apollo seismic experiments on the Moon in the 1960s-1970s allowed for the first determination of the internal structure of a body outside Earth. While decreased seismic wave velocities indicated […]
Volatile elements and compounds, such as water, are crucial to geological processes and will be vital for future in-situ resource utilization on the Moon. Thus, it is important to understand […]
On April 3, NASA announced the selected astronaut crew for the Artemis II mission, planned to launch in November 2024. The team consists of Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, […]
Chinese scientists have discovered a new mineral in samples returned from the Moon by the Chang’e 5 mission. The Chang’e 5 mission was launched on November 24, 2020, and returned […]
The formation of Earth’s Moon by the impact of a Mars-sized body with the Earth is widely accepted. While the high temperatures predicted by models of this process might be […]
NASA recently announced 13 candidate landing regions for Artemis III, which will be the first mission to send humans to the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. The candidate regions, […]
The Moon is a focal point of planetary research given its relative ease of access and extensively cratered surface. The Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission revealed that the […]
In a small lab-grown garden, the first seeds planted in lunar soil have sprouted. A team of researchers led by Anna-Lisa Paul at the University of Florida developed these experiments […]
How do we date the surface of the Moon? Lunar chronology models are created by combining two methods: crater counting and radiometric age dating. Crater counting is a widely used […]
The lunar surface is covered by a layer of impact-generated regolith (soil). Other than the occasional lava flow, meteorite impact (impact gardening) is the main source of modification to the […]
Ever since it was collected in December of 1972, Apollo sample 73001 has been sealed in an evacuated container and stored in the Lunar Sample Laboratory Facility at NASA’s Johnson […]
China’s Chang’E-5 lunar lander has made the first in-situ detection of water on the surface of the Moon, providing crucial context for the samples it returned to Earth. This mission […]
The first lunar samples returned in over 40 years suggest that volcanism on the Moon continued for much longer than previously thought. In December 2020, China’s Chang’e-5 mission returned samples […]
The magma ocean hypothesis is a leading explanation for how the Moon differentiated from its innermost mantle layers to its outermost crustal layer. Igneous samples returned from the surface of […]
Basins created by giant impacts can excavate material from deep within a planetary body and expose its underlying crustal and mantle stratigraphy. The South Pole-Aitken basin (SPA) is the largest […]
Inorganic methods for synthesizing important life-forming molecules, such as amino acids, have been active fields of study for decades. Different “recipes” involve interactions between inorganic molecules (e.g., CH4, NH3, H2, […]
Future exploration of the Moon requires precise knowledge of the distribution of rock types on the lunar surface. A recent map released by the United States Geological Survey separates the […]
The lunar magma ocean (LMO) hypothesis describes the early differentiation and resulting compositional structure of the Moon’s interior, including the formation of a primary flotation crust consisting of anorthositic rocks. […]
Dear Lunar Community, We would like to host a two-hour virtual discussion session on Wednesday, December 4 from 2–4 p.m. EST in order to share our thoughts on how we […]
International Observe the Moon Night is a worldwide celebration of lunar science and exploration held annually since 2010. One day each year, everyone on Earth is invited to observe and […]