Planetary Science and Resources Discoveries

Planetary scientists sharing ideas and discoveries.

Planetary Science and Resources Discoveries (PSRD) is an educational site sharing the latest research on the nature and origin of the Moon, meteorites, asteroids, planets, and other materials in our Solar System, and on identifying potential resources on those bodies that could be tapped for the benefit of people on Earth. Original support came from the Planetary Science Division of NASA's Science Mission Directorate and Hawai'i Space Grant Consortium. This site is a vital link for what's new in planetary and space sciences, space resources exploration, and learning how science works.

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Archive of Moon Articles

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17 SEPT 2022 Detailed Microanalysis of One Lunar Rock Provides Insight into Formation of the Entire Lunar Magnesian Suite
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
The distribution of phosphorous in olivine and sodium in plagioclase in lunar rock 76535 suggest that its formation may have involved reaction between magma ocean products and magma formed by partial melting in the lower crust.
pdf link, Lunar Magnesian Suite
03 MAY 2021 Seeing What We Have Never Seen Before: Low-Frequency Radio Astronomy from the Moon
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
Low-frequency radio observations from the radio-quiet lunar farside will allow astronomers to probe the universe from its mysterious dark ages after the Big Bang, to the nature of the magnetospheres of planets around other stars and the outer planets in our Solar System, and to better understand the causes of explosive release of plasma from the Sun's corona.
pdf link, The Low-Frequency Radio Astronomy from the Moon
24 MAR 2021 The Tarnished Moon
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
Remote sensing observations reveal the presence of ferric iron in the form of the mineral hematite at high latitudes on the Moon, possibly the product of reaction of ferrous iron on the Moon with oxygen from the Earth's upper atmosphere.
pdf link, The Tarnished Moon
JULY 2020 Riding Along with Apollo 16 Astronauts
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
CosmoSparks Report - Watch a portion of a motion picture film taken during Apollo 16 extravehicular activity that has been enhanced to an upgraded frame rate by Dutchsteammachine.
pdf link, Riding Along with Apollo 16 Astronauts
JUNE 2020 Geology of Ice Deposits at the Lunar Poles
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
CosmoSparks Report - A geologic model of polar deposits describes the source of the ice, its deposition, and its retention in the frigid polar regolith.
pdf link, Geology of Ice Deposits at the Lunar Poles
MAY 2020 New Unified Geologic Map of the Moon
by Linda M. V. Martel
CosmoSparks Report - The latest renovations of geologic maps of the Moon, created in the 1970s and updated in 2013, are depicted on one unified geologic map at a 1:5,000,000 scale.
pdf link, New Unified Geologic Map of the Moon
APRIL 2020 Mineral Abundances in Moon Dirt
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
CosmoSparks Report - A data set of mineral and glass abundance of 118 lunar soil samples was determined by quantitative x-ray diffraction analysis.
pdf link, Mineral Abundances in Moon Dirt
24 MAR 2020 Hydrogen Isotopes in Small Lunar Samples Provide Clues to the Origin of the Earth and Moon
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
Small samples of igneous rocks from the Moon have low deuterium/hydrogen ratios, indicating that some planetary bodies involved in the formation of the Earth and Moon trapped gas from the solar nebula.
pdf link, Hydrogen Isotopes in Small Lunar Samples
FEB 2020 Missions and Instruments for the Moon
by Linda M. V. Martel
CosmoSparks Report - Overviews of NASA's current, funded portfolio of lunar missions, instruments, and concept studies were presented at the February 2020 LEAG virtual workshop.
pdf link, LEAG meeting Feb. 2020 video links
JAN 2020 No More Global Moon Magnetic Field — When Did the Lunar Dynamo Shut Off?
by Linda M. V. Martel
CosmoSparks Report - Studies of remnant rock magnetization in Apollo samples help answer questions of lunar core dynamo duration.
pdf link, Lunar Dynamo
14 NOV 2019 Using the Resources of the Moon to Expand Earth's Economic Sphere
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
Lunar and material scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs discussed using lunar resources to enable lunar settlement and utilization.
pdf link, Using the Resources of the Moon
NOV 2019 Refueling Space Exploration
by Linda M. V. Martel
CosmoSparks Report - An academic-government-industry cohort describes how and why to make a lunar-polar-ice propellant production plant on the Moon.
pdf link, Refueling Space Exploration
SEPT 2019 Solar Wind Interactions with a Lunar Paleo-magnetosphere
by Linda M. V. Martel
CosmoSparks Report - Modeling results indicate that interaction of a lunar paleo-magnetosphere with the early solar wind affected the competing processes of implantation, accumulation, and space weathering of solar wind H+ on the lunar surface.
pdf link, Lunar Paleo-magnetosphere
19 JULY 2019 Lunar Samples Collected Up There and Down Here
by Linda M. V. Martel
Apollo lunar samples and lunar meteorites help us understand not only the Moon and Earth, but also fundamental processes in our Solar System.
pdf link, Lunar Samples Collected Up There and Down Here
16 JULY 2019 Scientific Discoveries from the Apollo 11 Mission
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
The Apollo 11 mission showed that the Moon formed hot, that it was magmatically active for at least 800 million years, and that the surface-blanket of dusty rubble contains a treasure trove of evidence of how the Moon formed.
pdf link, Scientific Discoveries from Apollo 11
12 JULY 2019 Recipe for Making H2O in the Lunar Regolith: Implant Solar Wind Hydrogen and Heat with Micrometeorite Impacts
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
Laboratory experiments simulating space weathering on the Moon show that water can be produced by rapid heating caused by micrometeorite impacts on grains implanted with hydrogen from the Sun.
pdf link, Water in Lunar Regolith
JUNE 2019 Geosciences Journal—Special Issue on Recent Advances in Lunar Studies
by Linda M. V. Martel
CosmoSparks Report - Five articles cover studies related to the Moon's formation, evolution, and exploration.
pdf link, Geosciences Special Issue
24 APRIL 2019 Volatile Elements Test Models for the Origin of the Moon
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
Volatile elements that concentrate in metallic iron elucidate the processes that operated during formation and initial differentiation of the Moon.
pdf link, Volatile Elements Test Models for the Origin of the Moon
MARCH 2019 Using Vanadium Isotopes to Investigate Chondrites, Earth, and Moon
by Linda M. V. Martel
CosmoSparks Report - Researchers investigate vanadium isotope variations in chondrite meteorites, lunar samples, and the consequences for Earth and Moon accretion.
pdf link, Vanadium Isotopes
JAN 2019 Lunar Orange Glass Beads
by Linda M. V. Martel
CosmoSparks Report - Lava droplets likely cooled in a short-lived atmosphere of gases released locally from a volcanic eruption on the Moon.
pdf link, Lunar Orange Glass Beads
DEC 2018 Young Craters with Really Cold Regolith on the Moon
by Linda M. V. Martel
CosmoSparks Report - Researchers consider candidate source-craters of lunar meteorites within the cold-spot craters identified in Diviner nighttime regolith temperature maps.
pdf link, Young Craters with Really Cold Regolith on the Moon
SEPT 2018 The Moon's Farside Von Kármán Crater
by Linda M. V. Martel
CosmoSparks Report - The new, Chang'E-4 mission to the Moon plans to bring a lander and a rover for the first time to the lunar farside.
pdf link, Moon's Farside Von Karman Crater
24 APRIL 2018 New Age for Lunar Exploration
by G. Jeffrey Taylor and Linda M. V. Martel
A change in the National Space Policy adds a lunar emphasis to NASA exploration programs.
pdf link, New Age for Lunar Exploration
20 NOV 2017 Volcanism and an Ancient Atmosphere on the Moon
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
Extensive lunar volcanism around 3.5 billion years ago produced a temporary atmosphere on the Moon.
pdf link, Volcanism and an Ancient Atmosphere on the Moon
NOV 2017 Harrison H. Schmitt's "Apollo 17: Diary of the 12th Man"
by Linda M. V. Martel
CosmoSparks Report - The Astronaut's personal account of the Apollo 17 Mission.
pdf link, Apollo 17: Diary of the 12th Man
OCT 2017 Apollo 17 at Taurus-Littrow: New Perspectives from the Geologist in situ
by Linda M. V. Martel
CosmoSparks Report - Taking the lead of a multi-dataset, comprehensive study of the geology of the lunar valley of Taurus-Littrow is the first geologist who worked there.
pdf link, Apollo 17 at Taurus-Littrow
JULY 2017 Total Solar Eclipse – August 21, 2017
by Linda M. V. Martel
CosmoSparks Report - The Moon's topography affects the shape of its shadow on Earth's surface during a solar eclipse, plus other information about August's total solar eclipse.
pdf link, Total Solar Eclipse--August 21, 2017
MAY 2017 Flux of O+ Ions from Earth to the Moon
by Linda M. V. Martel
CosmoSparks Report - Terrestrial O+ ions escape to the lunar surface when Earth's magnetosphere blocks the Moon from the solar wind.
pdf link, Flux of Oxygen Ions from Earth to the Moon
JAN 2017 Lava Flow Look-a-Likes
by Linda M. V. Martel
CosmoSparks Report - Impact melt flows on the Moon are formed by the high pressures of shock and melting of rock during an impact event. Once solidified they look like lava flows yet have unique surface roughness characteristics.
pdf link, Lunar Impact Melt Flows
11 NOV 2016 Searching for Ancient Solar System Materials on the Moon, Earth, and Mars
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
The early history of the Solar System is recorded by meteorites falling now, but also by those that fell hundreds of millions to billions of years ago, preserved in lunar samples, sedimentary layers on Earth, and even sitting on the surface of Mars.
pdf link, Solar System Materials
OCT 2016 Measuring and Modeling the Structure of the Best-Preserved Impact Basin on the Moon
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
CosmoSparks Report - Orientale basin formation and structure interpreted with GRAIL gravity data and quantitative modeling.
pdf link, Orientale basin--GRAIL
30 AUG 2016 What Made the Doughnuts Inside Lunar Concentric Craters?
by David Trang
Concentric ridges inside small lunar craters may have formed when intrusion of magma caused uplift of the crater floor.
pdf link, Lunar Concentric Craters
AUG 2016 Groovy Imbrium
by Linda M. V. Martel
CosmoSparks Report - Origin and implications of grooves and lineations that trend non-radially from the Imbrium basin.
pdf link, Groovy Imbrium
29 JUNE 2016 Rock and Roll at the Apollo 17 Site
by Linda M. V. Martel
The latest orbital images and topographic data offer new insights to the geologic context of Apollo 17 impact melt breccias.
pdf link, Rock and Roll at the Apollo 17 Site
2 JUNE 2016 A Sample from an Ancient Sea of Impact Melt
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
A lunar breccia from the Apollo 16 site contains a fragment formed in a sea of impact melt 4.2 billion years ago.
pdf link, A Sample from an Ancient Sea of Impact Melt
MAY 2016 An Improved Calibration of Reflectance Data from LOLA
by Linda M. V. Martel
CosmoSparks Report - Researchers propose that reduced solar wind flux toward higher latitudes is the reason for systematic near-infrared spectral variations in lunar maria.
pdf link, Improved Calibration of Reflectance Data from LOLA
FEB 2016 Space Weathering on the Moon—By Degrees Latitude
by Linda M. V. Martel
CosmoSparks Report - Researchers propose that reduced solar wind flux toward higher latitudes is the reason for systematic near-infrared spectral variations in lunar maria.
pdf link, Space Weathering on the Moon
30 OCT 2015 Age Rules
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
Rules for determining the most reliable ages for Moon rocks shed light on what rocks formed when during construction of the ancient lunar highlands crust.
pdf link, Age Rules
OCT 2015 Target: Schrödinger Basin
by Linda M. V. Martel
CosmoSparks Report - Impact melt rocks collected from Schrödinger Basin could reveal the age of the Moon's South Pole-Aitken basin.
pdf link, Schrodinger Basin
JULY 2015 First Discovery of a High-pressure Polymorph of Silica in an Apollo Sample
by Linda M. V. Martel
CosmoSparks Report - Though stishovite was identified previously in lunar meteorites, this is the first detection of stishovite in an Apollo sample.
pdf link, discovery of stishovite in Apollo sample 15299
JULY 2015 Icarus Journal—Special Issue on Lunar Volatiles
by Linda M. V. Martel
CosmoSparks Report - Articles in the July 15, 2015 issue cover research presented at a virtual workshop focusing on recent advances in understanding water and other volatiles on the Moon.
pdf link, Icarus Journal, v. 255
17 JUNE 2015 Tungsten Isotopes, Formation of the Moon, and Lopsided Addition to Earth and Moon
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
A distinct difference in tungsten isotopic composition between the Moon and Earth is consistent with the Moon and Earth starting with the same isotopic composition, but then modified by late accretion of different amounts of chondritic asteroids.
pdf link, Tungsten Isotopes in Earth and Moon
23 DEC 2014 Moon's Pink Mineral
by Linda M. V. Martel and G. Jeffrey Taylor
Remote sensing detections of pink spinel anorthosite are compared with sample analyses and experimental results to learn more about the lunar crust.
pdf link, Moon's Pink Mineral
DEC 2013 Titanium Variations in Mare Basalts at the Chang'e-3 Landing Site on the Moon
by Linda M. V. Martel
CosmoSparks Report - A look at the landing site of Yutu (Jade-Rabbit), China's Moon rover.
pdf link, mare basalts at the Chang'e-3 landing site
11 DEC 2013 The Igneous SPICEs Suite: Old Programs with a New Look
by Jesse D. Davenport
Long-established, reliable programs for calculating how magmas evolve have been given a facelift and used for modeling the crystallization of the lunar magma ocean.
pdf link, The Igneous SPICEs Suite of Programs
10 DEC 2012 Zinc Isotopes Provide Clues to Volatile Loss During Moon Formation
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
Ratios of zinc isotopes indicate evaporation of zinc (and other volatiles) during formation of the Moon.
pdf link, Zinc Isotopes Provide Clues to Volatile Loss During Moon Formation
JULY 2012 Lunar Rock Densities
by Linda M. V. Martel
CosmoSparks Report - Measuring rock properties of density and porosity for geophysical modeling of the Moon.
pdf link, Lunar Rock Densities
28 JUNE 2012 Leftovers from Ancient Lunar Impactors
by Linda M. V. Martel and G. Jeffrey Taylor
A systematic search for meteorite fragments in ancient regolith breccias confirms chondritic impactors on the Moon.
pdf link, Leftovers from Ancient Lunar Impactors
30 MAY 2012 Titanium Isotopes Provide Clues to Lunar Origin
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
The titanium isotopic mix is essentially identical in Earth and Moon, important new information with implications for the origin of the planets.
pdf link, Titanium Isotopes Provide Clues to Lunar Origin
DEC 2011 It's Not All Basalt on the Moon: Another Kind of Volcanic Rock
by Linda M. V. Martel
CosmoSparks Report - Looking at non-mare silicic volcanism.
pdf link, It's Not All Basalt on the Moon: Another Kind of Volcanic Rock
8 AUG 2011 Crystallizing the Lunar Magma Ocean
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
Lab experiments help test ideas for the Moon's chemical composition and how its crust formed.
pdf link, Crystallizing the Lunar Magma Ocean
JUNE 2011 Looking After and Preserving NASA's Extraterrestrial Samples
by Linda M. V. Martel
CosmoSparks Report - The work of NASA's Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation Office.
pdf link, Looking After and Preserving NASA's Extraterrestrial Samples
OCT 2010 An Icy Treat
by Linda M. V. Martel
CosmoSparks Report - Water ice confirmed on the Moon.
pdf link, An Icy Treat
30 SEPT 2010 Unraveling the Origin of the Lunar Highlands Crust
by Linda M. V. Martel
Lunar meteorites contain clasts that may plausibly be samples of post-magma-ocean plutons that helped build the highlands crust.
pdf link, Unraveling the Origin of the Lunar Highlands Crust
AUG 2010 Putting a Damper on the Damp Moon
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
CosmoSparks Report - Measurements of chlorine isotopes in lunar samples.
pdf link, Putting a Damper on the Damp Moon
1 JULY 2010 Damp Moon Rising
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
Cosmochemists find more evidence for water inside the Moon, showing that it is not the bone-dry place we thought.
pdf link, Damp Moon Rising
17 FEB 2010 How Young is the Lunar Crater Giordano Bruno?
by Linda M. V. Martel
High-resolution images are used to determine how recently this crater formed, a mere 832 years ago or over a million years ago.
pdf link, How Young is the Lunar Crater Giordano Bruno?
21 DEC 09 Celebrated Moon Rocks
by Linda M. V. Martel
Overview and status of the Apollo lunar collection: A unique, but limited, resource of extraterrestrial material.
pdf link, Celebrated Moon Rocks
18 SEPT 09 The Growing Diversity of Lunar Basalts
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
A lunar basaltic meteorite adds complexity to the already complicated story of mare basalt volcanism on the Moon.
pdf link, The Growing Diversity of Lunar Basalts
25 MAR 09 Time to Solidify an Ocean of Magma
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
A small mineral grain places limits on how long it took the lunar magma ocean to solidify.
pdf link, Time to Solidify an Ocean of Magma
27 JAN 09 The Crazy Mixed-Up Lunar Crust
by Linda M. V. Martel
The horizontal and vertical distribution of well-mixed basin ejecta has lunar-wide geochemical ramifications.
pdf link, The Crazy Mixed-Up Lunar Crust
22 SEPT 08 The Bone-Dry Moon Might be Damp
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
Cosmochemists have written in stone that the Moon is almost totally devoid of water, but new analyses of volcanic glasses suggest that they need to do some editing.
pdf link, The Bone-Dry Moon Might be Damp
29 APRIL 08 A Farside Geochemical Window into the Moon
by Linda M. V. Martel
Findings show geochemical enhancements in the Dewar region are caused by thorium-rich mare basalt fragments in the regolith.
pdf link, Farside Geochemical Window into the Moon
22 FEB 08 Compositional Balancing Before Moon Formation
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
The identical oxygen isotopic composition of Earth and Moon might be explained by exchange of material between the proto-Earth and the surrounding proto-lunar disk.
pdf link, Compositional Balancing Before Moon Formation
19 DEC 07 Chips Off an Old Lava Flow
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
Lunar meteorite Kalahari 009 contains fragments of basalt about 4.35 billion years old, a record-breaking old age for mare basalt.
pdf link, Chips Off an Old Lava Flow
19 JUNE 07 Oxidants from Pulverized Minerals
by Linda M. V. Martel
Laboratory measurements of hydrogen peroxide produced from crushed basaltic minerals immersed in water have important implications for Martian and lunar dust.
pdf link, Oxidants from Pulverized Minerals
3 APRIL 07 Two Views of the Moon's Composition
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
There is a striking dichotomy in estimates of the abundance of refractory elements in the Moon.
pdf link, Two Views of the Moon's Composition
8 NOV 06 Recent Gas Escape from the Moon
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
Gases may have escaped from the Moon as recently as a million years ago, implying that the lunar interior is not as lethargic as conventional wisdom dictates.
pdf link, Recent Gas Escape from the Moon
24 AUG 06 Wandering Gas Giants and Lunar Bombardment
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
Outward migration of Saturn might have triggered a dramatic increase in the bombardment rate on the Moon 3.9 billion years ago, an idea testable with lunar samples.
pdf link, Wandering Gas Giants and Lunar Bombardment
30 APRIL 06 Finding Basalt Chips from Distant Maria
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
Tossed chips of lava help fill in blanks in our knowledge of lunar basalts.
pdf link, Finding Basalt Chips from Distant Maria
22 NOV 05 Gamma Rays, Meteorites, Lunar Samples, and the Composition of the Moon
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
Lunar meteorites provide ground truth to help calibrate orbital geochemical data, allowing an estimate of the composition of the entire Moon.
pdf link, Composition of the Moon
23 DEC 04 Cosmochemistry and Human Exploration
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
Cosmochemistry plays an important role in developing local resources on the Moon and Mars, essential to sustained human presence in space.
pdf link, Cosmochemistry and Human Exploration
10 DEC 04 Composition of the Moon's Crust
by Linda M. V. Martel
New empirical calibrations of Lunar Prospector and Clementine data yield improved global maps of Th, K, and FeO.
pdf link, Composition of the Moon's Crust
31 OCT 04 New Lunar Meteorite Provides its Lunar Address and Some Clues about Early Bombardment of the Moon
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
A newly discovered meteorite from the Moon provides a detailed record of its history, allowing scientists to make a reasonable guess about where it came from on the Moon and to test ideas for the timing of early impact bombardment.
pdf link, New Lunar Meteorite
28 SEPT 04 Lunar Crater Rays Point to a New Lunar Time Scale
by Linda M. V. Martel
Optical maturity maps of rays, derived from Clementine multispectral data and calibrated with lunar sample analyses, provide a new way to define the two youngest time stratigraphic units on the Moon.
pdf link, Lunar Crater Rays Point to a New Lunar Time Scale
5 JULY 04 New Mineral Proves an Old Idea about Space Weathering
by Linda M. V. Martel
A newly discovered vapor-deposited iron silicide in a lunar meteorite has been named hapkeite.
pdf link, New Mineral Proves an Old Idea about Space Weathering
21 APRIL 04 The Oldest Moon Rocks
by Marc Norman
Rocks from the lunar crust provide new clues to the age and origin of the Moon and the terrestrial planets.
pdf link, The Oldest Moon Rocks
28 NOV 03 Hafnium, Tungsten, and the Differentiation of the Moon and Mars
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
Experiments help us understand the timing of core formation and nature of initial melting in the Moon and Mars.
pdf link, Hf, W, and the Differentiation of the Moon and Mars
4 JUNE 03 The Moon's Dark, Icy Poles
by Linda M. V. Martel
Permanently shadowed regions on the Moon--where frozen water could be trapped--are more abundant and more widely distributed than originally thought.
pdf link, The Moon's Dark, Icy Poles
8 OCT 02 The Moon Beyond 2002
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
A meeting of lunar scientists to outline research questions and future exploration plans.
pdf link, The Moon Beyond 2002
21 AUG 01 Uranus, Neptune, and the Mountains of the Moon
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
The tardy formation of Uranus and Neptune might have caused the intense bombardment of the Moon 3.9 billion years ago.
pdf link, Uranus, Neptune, and the Mountains of the Moon
24 JAN 01 Lunar Meteorites and the Lunar Cataclysm
by Barbara A. Cohen
Dating of impact melts in lunar meteorites supports the idea that the Moon was intensely bombarded about 3.9 billion years ago.
pdf link, Lunar Meteorites and the Lunar Cataclysm
5 DEC 00 Recipe for High-Titanium Lunar Magmas
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
Experiments shed light on how high-titanium lunar magmas formed.
pdf link, Recipe for High-Ti Lunar Magmas
21 NOV 00 Mining the Moon, Mars, and Asteroids
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
Applied cosmochemistry plays a key role in plans to use the resources of the Moon, Mars, and asteroids.
pdf link, Mining the Moon, Mars, and Asteroids
31 AUG 00 A New Moon for the Twenty-First Century
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
Integrated studies of returned samples and remote sensing data reveal a Moon far different from the one scientists envisaged only a decade ago.
pdf link, A New Moon for the Twenty-First Century
23 JUNE 00 The Surprising Lunar Maria
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
Global remote sensing data have given lunar scientists a startling new perspective of the titanium concentrations in the lava flows making up the lunar maria.
pdf link, The Surprising Lunar Maria
23 SEPT 99 The Moon at its Core
by Linda M. V. Martel
New evidence for a small lunar core strengthens the giant impact hypothesis for the origin of the Moon.
pdf link, The Moon at its Core
21 APRIL 99 30th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference: Some Highlights
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
The annual LPSC featured bacteria, new views of the Moon, and an intriguing new meteorite.
pdf link, 30th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference: Some Highlights
31 DEC 98 Origin of the Earth and Moon
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
First hand report of the December 1998 conference on the formation and very early history of the Earth and Moon.
pdf link, Origin of the Earth and Moon
17 JULY 98 The Biggest Hole in the Solar System
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
Recent missions have helped researchers determine the composition of one of the largest impact craters in the Solar System: South Pole-Aitken basin.
pdf link, The Biggest Hole in the Solar System
20 OCT 97 Moonbeams and Elements
by G. Jeffrey Taylor
The amount of light reflected off the Moon can be used to determine elemental abundances from orbit.
pdf link, Moonbeams and Elements
12 FEB 97 Explosive Volcanic Eruptions on the Moon
by Catherine M. Weitz
How did deposits of fine-grained volcanic beads form on the Moon? Could these deposits supply oxygen and rocket fuel to future lunar colonists?
pdf link, Explosive Volcanic Eruptions on the Moon
21 DEC 96 Ice on the Bone Dry Moon
by Paul D. Spudis
Deposits of ice in the permanently dark regions near the south pole of the Moon could bootstrap a self-sustaining lunar colony.
pdf link, Ice on the Bone Dry Moon
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