It’s been half a century since humans last retrieved samples of the moon’s surface, and we’re finally going back \u2014 with better technology, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the successful\u00a0Artemis 1<\/u>\u00a0test flight in December and 50 years after the final\u00a0Apollo<\/u>\u00a0lunar mission in 1972, astronomers and space enthusiasts alike are buzzing with excitement about humanity’s return to the\u00a0moon<\/u>. Planetary scientists, however, are particularly eager for the science will come from future crewed\u00a0Artemis missions<\/u>\u00a0and complementary robotic explorers. At the 2022 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in December, lunar scientists shared some of the mysteries they’re pursuing using data from the Apollo program and beyond, and how Artemis will offer a more comprehensive understanding of our moon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although the Apollo missions were decades ago, the lunar samples returned from those voyages are still keeping scientists busy. From small glass beads to crystals formed in magma, the rocks and minerals in the Apollo samples are a prime target for geologists interested in the moon’s volcanic history. The moon doesn’t have active\u00a0volcanoes<\/u>\u00a0now, but it was quite busy in its earlier years \u2014 the moon’s famous \u00abseas\u00bb known as mare are actually plains of hardened lava.<\/p>\n\n\n\n