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.
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.
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 2.35-billion-year-old meteorite offers fresh insights into the Moon's volcanic history and suggests ongoing internal heat generation processes. The rock's distinct composition provides new constraints on when and how volcanic activity occurred on the Moon.
Garmin GPSMAP 67i with inReach
Garmin GPSMAP 67i with inReach provides rugged GNSS navigation, satellite messaging, and SOS for backcountry geology and climate field teams.
Researchers from Chinese Academy of Sciences have dated three volcanic glass beads from Chang'e-5 mission samples to 123 million years ago, confirming 120-million-year-old volcanism on the Moon. This finding suggests that celestial bodies like the Moon can maintain internal vitality for a very late stage
The Lunar Environment Monitoring System, developed by UMD researchers, will track seismic activity on the moon's surface during the upcoming Artemis III mission. The system's data will help prepare NASA for a long-term presence on other planetary bodies.
Researchers found that mantle melting-point depression due to fusible components could generate young lunar volcanism. The Chang'E-5 samples, returned in 2020, revealed surprisingly young volcanic activity only 2 billion years old, contradicting the long-held assumption that the Moon has been geologically dead since then.