Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

October 6, 2008 11:32:33 PM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Moon Rocks Still Giving Up Gritty Secrets

Posted Jul 8, 08 6:00 AM CDT in Science & Health 

(Newser) – Almost 40 years after Apollo astronauts brought samples of the moon back to Earth, the extraterrestrial rocks are still yielding new information, the New York Times reports. In addition to attention from the Johnson Space Center, where they reside, samples are mailed out—on loan only, and usually less than a gram—to 40 or 50 research groups around the world each year.

Comparing the ages of rocks with the cratering on the surface they came from has resulted in a yardstick of sorts for dating bodies in the solar system—and the chemistry of some samples helped lead to the impact theory of dinosaur extinction. Other research looks to the future: how to extract oxygen from lunar dust and use microwaves to build roads on the moon.

Source New York Times

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Water Found in Moon Rock

    Jul 10, 08 5:00 AM CDT
    Water Found in Moon Rock Water has been detected in moon rock brought to Earth by Apollo astronauts, reports Space.com. A team used a new super-sensitive technique to discover the water in volcanic glass beads in the rock. The stunning find, detailed in the journal Nature, is forcing scientists to rethink theories about the moon's origin 4.5 billion years ago. More »

The dark areas on the moon are newer deposits of basalt, while the light highlands are an older anorthosite. Determining the rocks' ages chemically was a key aid in dating the solar system.   ((c) ohgloryyyyyy(:)
The Lunar Sample Laboratory Facility loans out 400 moon rocks each year to researchers interested in everything from the conditions at the formation of the solar system to the extinction of dinosaurs.   (Getty Images)
The lunar samples, brought back after each Apollo landing, reside in Johnson Space Center, with a combined weight of 842 pounds.   (Archive Photos)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (
1
 of 2)

Tags

moon  • solar system  • geology  • Apollo missions  • lunar exploration  • crater  • moon rock


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other Science & Health Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »