NASA announcement: Agency to open untouched Apollo moon samples to help conquer space

NASA bosses announced samples of lunar dust from the Apollo 15,16 and 17, which took place between July 1971 and December 1972, will be analysed for the first time. Jim Bridenstine, administrator of NASA, announced the new mission, claiming it will open the door for a new generation of scientists to help conquer the solar system. The analysis was announced as part of Mr Bridenstine’s discussion of the agency’s Moon to Mars initiative and the 2020 budget.

NASA has selected nine teams, from NASA research institutes and US universities, to examine the samples who were each awarded an $8million (£6.1million) grant for their research.

Thomas Zurbuchen, Associate Administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington, DC, said: “By studying these precious lunar samples for the first time, a new generation of scientists will help advance our understanding of our lunar neighbour and prepare for the next era of exploration of the Moon and beyond.

“This exploration will bring with it new and unique samples into the best labs right here on Earth.”

The samples were purposefully saved when they were returned from the moon during the peak of the space race with the USSR because NASA wanted to wait for more advanced technology to observe the lunar dust.

Lori Glaze, acting director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division, said: “Returned samples are an investment in the future. These samples were deliberately saved so we can take advantage of today’s more advanced and sophisticated technology to answer questions we didn’t know we needed to ask.”

One of the tasks will be to examine “space weathering”.

This will see how explosions from the surface of the sun, which ultimately bombarded the atmosphere-less moon, have effected our lunar satellite.

Another will examine an ancient eruption on a volcanic moon which helped to create tiny glass beads on the surface.

M. Darby Dyar, a senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute selected by NASA for the study, said: “The beads are formed by rapid cooling of droplets from explosive lunar fire fountains, like those seen in Hawaii.

“We will map changes from core to rim that reveal hydrogen and oxygen pressures in the lunar interior and before, during, and after eruption.”

source: express.co.uk