A study published in Nature Astronomy found that catastrophic collisions on icy moons barely disturb hidden oceans, offering new insights into life beyond Earth. The research suggests that moon sizes play a bigger role in determining a collision's aftereffects, with larger moons potentially thickening existing oceans.
Venus, Earth's twin planet, lacks a rocky satellite due to its slow spin and gravity, which causes a moon to collapse and crash into the planet. The discovery sheds light on the planet's evolution and potential habitability.
A large population on the Moon would quickly run out of water due to high energy demands and limited resources, but finding more water could extend sustainability. The Moon's surface and subsurface may hold more water than previously thought, providing a potential lifeline for lunar settlements.
SwRI simulations indicate that large impacts on icy moons with subsurface oceans may not create new oceans, but rather affect their longevity. Smaller moons are more likely to lose their oceans after a large impact.
Researchers used state-of-the-art computational techniques to reveal fundamental differences in moon formation from a Mars-sized object and Earth 4.5 billion years ago. Material strength of the two ancestral bodies matters in the process, changing how researchers think the planetary collision happened.
Researchers have discovered that material strength and temperature can significantly impact the formation of the Moon. The study suggests that a Mars-sized object collided with Earth, but the simulations previously ignored material strength, which is now found to matter. The results imply a potential connection between the Moon's compo...
Engineers at Texas A&M University, NASA, and Purdue University create algorithms for managing spacecraft traffic around Gateway, a lunar spaceport. The system balances fuel efficiency and operational demands to reduce the risk of collisions during space missions.
A new study reveals that the Moon's soil can be decoded to reveal history of supernova explosions. Researchers developed a mathematical model to unscramble the lunar surface, providing guidance for future core samples. The model reveals insights into the history of our Solar System's journey through the galaxy.
A new study published in Science Advances found that bacteria and fungi from Earth can survive for at least a week in shaded nooks and crannies around the lunar south pole. The study's findings highlight the need to better understand microbial persistence in extreme lunar environments, which is crucial for future space missions.
The CosmoCube satellite will use the far side of the Moon as a 'shield' to block out Earth's noise and listen for the 21-centimetre line signal from hydrogen atoms in the early universe. This signal is extremely difficult to detect with Earth-based telescopes due to interference, but the Moon provides a natural shield.
Researchers developed a method to detect water ice on the moon using seismic waves, which can travel faster through frozen soil. This discovery is critical for NASA's Artemis program, which aims to send crewed landings to the moon's south polar region in 2028.
Juno's Microwave Radiometer reveals Io's heat output by looking below the surface, breaking new observational ground for volcanic and icy worlds. The findings suggest a steep gradient of rising temperatures just several feet into Io's surface, with possible explanations including conductive crust heating or cooling lava flows.
A University of Michigan study finds that fungi are far more abundant deep below ground than previously thought, with over 689 unique species identified. The researchers also discovered complex underground food webs and found evidence of carbon sequestration in the Earth's crust.
Researchers propose a multiple-moon-aided Jovian capture method utilizing solar gravity perturbation (SGP) to reduce velocity increments. The study uses four dynamic models and computes datasets to analyze the mechanism of SGP, revealing its influence on perijove radius change.
Researchers uncover new evidence about the timing and intensity of asteroid bombardment on the Moon's surface, finding it declined gradually rather than a short burst. The discovery allows scientists to reconstruct over three billion years of lunar impact history.
The discovery of an exomoon in the CD-35 2722 system, orbiting a brown dwarf rather than a planet, challenges our understanding of planetary objects. The exosatellite is estimated to be at least as massive as Jupiter and orbits a highly massive companion, blurring the lines between stars, planets, and moons.
Research based on China's Chang'e-6 samples reveals that Earth's magnetosphere has shaped the difference in solar wind speeds and energies striking the Moon's two hemispheres. The study found that the lunar far side underwent stronger isotopic fractionation, resulting in preferential enrichment of the heavier isotope.
Scientists create a map of regolith thickness across the Moon using data from over 300 impact craters and lunar missions, estimating six meters in highlands and four meters in maria. This research provides valuable insights for future lunar exploration, including considerations for mission planning and resource utilization.
University of Delaware researchers have successfully tested geopolymers in space, demonstrating higher strength than identical samples stored on Earth. The findings hold promise for long-term lunar construction, with regolith potentially used to produce construction materials without energy-intensive processing.
Researchers have developed a plasma technology that can produce nitrogen fertilizer suitable for cultivating rice seedlings under lunar conditions. The technology successfully neutralizes highly alkaline regolith and releases critical mineral nutrients, allowing plants to absorb them more readily.
Researchers will analyze unique lunar samples, deep-sea sediments, and geological archives to detect rare radionuclides and shed light on nearby cosmic events. The project aims to reveal the history of our cosmic neighborhood and its possible influence on Earth's evolution.
Researchers developed a new gel-based material that filters PFAS 'forever chemicals' from water using 'molecular Velcro', improving filtration capacity and reducing the need for fluorinated materials. The material can be reused by flushing out contaminants, offering a potential solution to removing PFAS from water.
Researchers studied the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin on the Moon's far side, a massive impact structure that may have excavated material from deep inside the lunar mantle. Advanced models and simulations recreated the SPA-forming impact, identifying new evidence about the direction and composition of the object that struck the Moon.
The proposed National Lunar Research Center (NLRC) will simulate the Moon's surface and test lunar base infrastructure on SwRI grounds. The initiative aims to accelerate research and development for NASA's Artemis Moon Base and prepare a specialized workforce.
Researchers recreated solar wind in lab to study space weathering's impact on the moon's surface. They found that nanophase iron formation suggests solar wind plays a major role in shaping the lunar surface.
A new study in Geology has discovered evidence of a major impact event about 3.5 billion years ago on the Moon, matching the ages of known impacts on Earth and in the asteroid belt. The discovery provides a key link to the history of the inner solar system and sheds light on catastrophic events that may have affected early life on Earth.
Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University propose a compact X-ray telescope for mapping the entire Moon surface, overcoming technical challenges that have hindered previous missions. The team's simulations demonstrate feasibility and show that it could be done in two years with five key elements.
A new study suggests that aiming for the 'average plus' rather than the highest possible outcome can lead to better results in business, politics, and personal endeavors. By setting a finite satisfaction threshold above average but not too high, individuals can strike a balance between being ambitious and avoiding disappointment.
Researchers at Texas A&M University are designing how humans will build and survive on the moon, focusing on sustainable construction using lunar regolith. The institution's efforts aim to reduce costs associated with shipping materials to the moon, making it possible to produce rocket propellant locally.
Researchers studied Chang'e-5 lunar regolith, identifying nanoscale evolution of surface materials through impact-induced silicate phase separation and formation of metallic iron. The findings provide new insights into spectral evolution of the Moon and processes responsible for forming lunar impact glass.
Researchers developed a novel virtual model simulating astronaut interactions and environmental factors during Moon base operations. Increasing crew size boosted skill levels and teamwork compatibility, while longer missions introduced psychological stress.
Physicist Jun Ye proposes building a highly stable laser inside permanently shadowed lunar craters, leveraging their extremely low vibrations and temperature to achieve unparalleled precision. This could form the backbone of a lunar time scale, GPS-like navigation, and space-based optical atomic clocks.
Researchers developed a mathematical method to calculate the most economical travel routes between celestial bodies. The new route requires significantly less fuel consumption than previously described paths, with potential cost implications for space missions.
A long-term study reveals how the red-necked nightjar's annual cycle follows the moon's light, influencing feeding, migration, and breeding patterns. The research highlights the vulnerability of nocturnal animals to changes in light levels, with potential consequences for conservation.
Researchers have discovered that ice has been gradually accumulating on the Moon's poles for at least 1.5 billion years, with ancient 'cold traps' acting as efficient ice-traps for billions of years. The study identifies regions like Haworth Crater as prime targets for future landed missions to find water ice.
A new study from Rice University transforms lunar regolith simulant into a valuable building resource, strengthening advanced composite materials by up to 30-40%. The innovative approach reduces dependence on Earth-supplied materials, increasing the feasibility of longer missions and infrastructure development.
Researchers found that the moon's oldest and darkest craters are also where ice has been detected, suggesting a continuous accumulation of water over billions of years. The team's findings rule out a massive comet impact as a source of water on the moon.
Researchers found that Jupiter's strong magnetic field created a cavity in its circumplanetary disk, which captured the largest four moons, including Ganymede. In contrast, Saturn's weaker magnetic field failed to form a cavity, resulting in only one large moon, Titan. This discovery provides insight into the formation of satellite sys...
Researchers propose a terrain-aware framework for optimizing laser power-beaming networks in lunar permanently shadowed regions. The approach balances coverage, connectivity, and cost constraints to enable sustainable exploration tasks.
Researchers propose a new framework for jointly optimizing coverage, connectivity, and cost in laser power-beaming networks. The team's terrain-aware approach advances system-level design of laser power-beaming networks for extreme exploration tasks in the Moon's permanently shadowed regions.
A team of researchers at Harbin Institute of Technology has developed a method to efficiently melt lunar regolith using microwave energy, eliminating the need for susceptor materials. The approach enhances electric field strength and uses compressed waveguide design to focus microwave energy, achieving thermal runaway in just 420 seconds.
Researchers have uncovered evidence of tetrataenite, a hard magnetic mineral, in lunar soil returned from the South Pole-Aitken Basin. The discovery provides fresh insights into the formation and evolution of magnetic anomalies on the Moon's surface.
Using Distributed Acoustic Sensing technology, scientists deployed fibre-optic cables across the lunar surface to detect seismic waves generated by moonquakes, meteorites, and landings. The cables can record signals at a higher spatial resolution than traditional seismic networks.
Researchers developed a self-locking Afghan vault structure for lunar construction, identifying optimal angles for stability under static and seismic loads. The study provides a theoretical foundation for in-situ resource utilization on the Moon, enabling robust shielding shells to protect habitats from radiation and meteorite impacts.
Researchers have successfully grown and harvested chickpeas using simulated moon dirt, demonstrating a key step towards establishing a sustainable food source on the lunar surface. The study found that mixtures of up to 75% moon dirt were suitable for producing harvestable chickpeas, with the addition of fungi enhancing plant health.
A NASA-funded project is testing whether fungi can be grown into building materials for construction on the moon and Mars. Researchers are exploring in-situ resource utilization, using local materials to support exploration and long-term habitation.
Research team uses AI-driven approach to analyze Chang'e-6 samples, revealing higher shear strength and irregular shape of far-side lunar regolith. The findings suggest a more stable foundation for future lunar bases, but also pose new challenges for drilling and rover mobility systems.
Researchers at Ohio State University have developed a new laser 3D printing method that can create extremely durable structures using simulated lunar dirt. The study found that the material's properties depend on the surface onto which it is printed, and that environmental factors such as oxygen levels and temperature affect its stabil...
Researchers from the University of Oxford have resolved a long-standing debate about the Moon's magnetic field, finding that it had an extremely strong field at times but was mostly weak. The new analysis suggests that the Apollo samples were biased to record rare events, leading scientists to overestimate the field's strength.
Scientists investigate how recycled sewage interacts with simulated lunar and Martian regolith to create a suitable medium for crop growth. The experiment reveals that the weathered simulants supply essential plant nutrients, paving the way for sustainable human colonies in outer space.
Astronomers have found that the fundamental physical processes generating auroras are common to different celestial bodies, including the largest moon in the solar system. Observations of Ganymede's auroras reveal locally fragmented patches similar to those on Earth and Jupiter, suggesting a universal mechanism for aurora formation.
Scientists at the National Air and Space Museum's Center for Earth and Planetary Studies have created a comprehensive map of small mare ridges (SMRs) on the Moon. The research, published in The Planetary Science Journal, reveals that SMRs are geologically young and widespread across the lunar maria.
A new study suggests that Saturn's largest moon, Titan, formed from a merger of two earlier moons, and this event may also be linked to the formation of Saturn's rings. The research proposes that Titan is the product of a collision between an extra moon and itself, resulting in the creation of fragments near Titan's orbit.
A recent study published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres confirms that lunar observations can accurately capture Earth's outgoing radiation, revealing its global radiation fingerprint. The research team used spherical harmonic functions to filter out local weather noise and extract planet-scale dominant signals.
A new study suggests that the Moon's surface record sets a hard limit on the possibility of late meteorite delivery being the dominant source of Earth's oceans. The researchers analyzed oxygen isotopes in lunar regolith samples, finding that even generous assumptions about impactor flux would only supply a small fraction of Earth's water.
Researchers used a custom-designed microscope to image individual lunar regolith grains, revealing the carriers and origins of their magnetism. The study provides insights into the Moon's internal structure and thermal evolution history.
The study analyzed Chang'e-6 samples from the South Pole-Aitken Basin, finding significantly heavier potassium isotopic compositions than previous lunar basalts. This suggests that a giant impact event had a profound influence on the Moon's deep interior, affecting its thermal history and geochemical properties.
A recent study suggests that lunar spacecraft exhaust methane can contaminate areas of the moon where original ingredients of earthly life may be found. The pollution can unfold rapidly, with more than half of the total exhaust methane settling in regions potentially harboring prebiotic organic molecules within seven days.
The NASA VIPER rover has completed critical testing at Sandia National Laboratories' Large Centrifuge facility, which subjected the vehicle to extreme inertial forces and vibration conditions. The successful tests pave the way for the rover's mission to create a water concentration map of the moon's South Pole.
Researchers reanalyze Cassini mission data to find that Titan's interior is more icy and slushy than previously thought, with implications for the search for life on Titan. The new findings suggest a slushy layer instead of an ocean, which could facilitate the growth of simple organisms.