NASA's new study of the Moon's Apollo lunar soils suggests that meteorite impacts may have been a limited source of water for Earth. The research, published in the Proceedings to the National Academy of Sciences, used a novel method to analyze the regolith on the Moon's surface, known as lunar regolith, and found that even under generous assumptions, meteorite delivery since about four billion years ago could only have supplied a small fraction of Earth's water.
The study's lead researcher, Tony Gargano, explained that the lunar regolith is one of the rare places where scientists can interpret a time-integrated record of what was hitting Earth's neighborhood for billions of years. By analyzing the oxygen-isotope fingerprints in the regolith, the team was able to pull an impactor signal out of a mixture that has been melted, vaporized, and reworked countless times.
The findings imply that late delivery of water-rich meteorites could not have been the dominant source of Earth's oceans. The study's co-author, Justin Simon, added that while the results do not rule out the possibility of meteorite delivery, they make it difficult to reconcile the hypothesis that late meteorite delivery was the primary source of Earth's oceans.
The Moon's accessible water inventory is concentrated in small, permanently shadowed regions at the North and South Poles. These areas are some of the coldest spots in the solar system, offering unique opportunities for scientific discovery and potential resources for future lunar exploration.
The samples analyzed for this study came from parts of the Moon near the equator on the side facing Earth, where all six Apollo missions landed. The rocks and dust collected more than 50 years ago continue to reveal new insights but are constrained to a small portion of the Moon.
The study's results have significant implications for our understanding of water sources on both the Moon and Earth. By exploring the Moon and its resources, scientists hope to gain a better understanding of the solar system's history and potential risks and opportunities for human exploration and settlement.
The study's lead researcher, Tony Gargano, explained that the lunar regolith is one of the rare places where scientists can interpret a time-integrated record of what was hitting Earth's neighborhood for billions of years. By analyzing the oxygen-isotope fingerprints in the regolith, the team was able to pull an impactor signal out of a mixture that has been melted, vaporized, and reworked countless times.
The findings imply that late delivery of water-rich meteorites could not have been the dominant source of Earth's oceans. The study's co-author, Justin Simon, added that while the results do not rule out the possibility of meteorite delivery, they make it difficult to reconcile the hypothesis that late meteorite delivery was the primary source of Earth's oceans.
The Moon's accessible water inventory is concentrated in small, permanently shadowed regions at the North and South Poles. These areas are some of the coldest spots in the solar system, offering unique opportunities for scientific discovery and potential resources for future lunar exploration.
The samples analyzed for this study came from parts of the Moon near the equator on the side facing Earth, where all six Apollo missions landed. The rocks and dust collected more than 50 years ago continue to reveal new insights but are constrained to a small portion of the Moon.
The study's results have significant implications for our understanding of water sources on both the Moon and Earth. By exploring the Moon and its resources, scientists hope to gain a better understanding of the solar system's history and potential risks and opportunities for human exploration and settlement.
! so apparently, scientists are saying that meteorite impacts might not be as water-rich as we thought? mind blown 
like, imagine if our oceans aren't just a result of ancient deliveries... it's kinda cool to think about the moon being like a cosmic recycling center, melting and vaporizing all this water over time 
. it's defo cool to think about the possibilities for resources and future exploration... like, who knows what other secrets we can uncover? 
. But, like, it's also kinda awesome that we're getting more insights into how the solar system works 
. And who knows, maybe those permanently shadowed regions at the North and South Poles have other secrets to share? 
It's always interesting to think about how all these tiny pieces of space stuff fit together to make our planet what it is 
Turns out, NASA just dropped this mind-blowing study saying that's not even close! 
It makes total sense though, if you think about it - all that heavy meteorite stuff would've melted and vaporized a gazillion times over, so there's barely any left to go around.
. Think about it, what if this study is just a cover-up for something even bigger? Like, what if the government knows exactly where all that water is hiding on the Moon and they're just keeping it under wraps? 
It's too convenient that they chose to focus on meteorite impacts instead of exploring other possible sources. And have you seen the areas they analyzed for this study? Just a tiny part of the Moon, near the equator! What about the rest? Is there something being hidden from us? 
. It's crazy to think about how much we've learned from those old Apollo samples... 50 years old and still giving us new info