A rock from the moon’s early days — Science Information, March 30, 1974
Taking its final shot on the prize, the Apollo program got here via. A big purpose of the scientists analyzing samples introduced again from the lunar floor used to be to discover a rock nearly as outdated because the moon itself, a relic greater than 4.5 billion years outdated.… After 5 visits to the moon, the last-ditch effort, Apollo 17, in any case paid off.
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Apollo-era lunar rocks are nonetheless revealing secrets and techniques of the moon’s early life. For example, the moon’s magnetic box — if it existed — lasted for the satellite tv for pc’s first 500 million years or so, a contemporary research steered (SN: 8/28/21, p. 7). Any other pattern of moon rocks, accrued in 2020 by way of China’s Chang’e-5 undertaking, is offering new tidbits from later time classes. The ones rocks counsel the moon used to be volcanically energetic for longer than up to now idea, with lava flowing as just lately as 2 billion years in the past (SN: 11/6/21, p. 6). China’s Chang’e-6 undertaking, slated to release in Might, would possibly ship the primary rocks from the moon’s farside. That subject material may just give an explanation for why the close to and a ways facets seem to be geologically distinct.