The formation of the Moon and the beginnings of its history are becoming less and less mysterious. A new study provides a better understanding of the isotopic composition of the interior of the Moon thanks to samples brought back by the Apollo program.
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How did the moon form and what were its beginnings like? These are the questions that scientists ask themselves in order to better understand the history of our natural satellite. We recently discovered more than 109,000 unknown craters on the Moon thanks to artificial intelligence.
Several decades later, the Apollo program continues to provide us with key information. Astronauts on missions Apollo 15 (1971) and Apollo 17 (1972) brought back lunar samples that continue to reveal their secrets thanks to the modernization of the technology used to study them.
Lunar lava comes from different reservoirs inside the satellite natural
A study conducted by Alberto Saal and Erik Hauri has just been published in the scientific journal Science Advances. It is titled: ” Fractionation of large sulfur isotopes in lunar volcanic glasses reveals magmatic differentiation and outgassing of the moon “. Scientists have examined 67 lunar samples that contain volcanic glass with isotopes of sulfur. This allowed them to understand how the Moon’s core formed and how lunar lava from underground tunnels was projected into space when the satellite was born. In fact, engineers are currently looking to transform moon dust into oxygen to facilitate exploration and construction on the moon.
The geologist Alberto Saal explained to our colleagues of SYFY WIRE what : ” lunar volcanic glasses were generated by the fusion of different compositional reservoirs inside the moon. The different sulfur isotopes in these reservoirs give clues to the processes responsible for the generation of these different reservoirs in the Moon. ». In its infancy, the Moon actually knew intense telluric activity resulting in numerous volcanic eruptions.
Isotopes 34S and 32S confirm the segregation of the lunar nucleus
Additionally, the study served to strengthen the evidence for the core segregation of the Moon early in its history. For this, scientists have studied the relationship between 34s and 32S, two stable isotopes of natural sulfur. When a planet’s iron core separates, it takes sulfur with it. In the case of the Moon, the magma that contains more than 32 isotopesS is the direct consequence of the drift of the nucleus which carried away the isotope 34s heavier with it.
Finally, Alberto Saal added that: “ our results suggest that these samples record these critical events in lunar history. As we keep examining them with new and better techniques, we keep learning new things. “. Indeed, we have not yet fully unlocked all the secrets of the Moon. The Artemis program which foresees the return of Man to the Moon in 2024 will bring back samples that will allow us to learn even more.
Source : SYFY WIRE
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