California Mar 8 : The Apollo program was the pinnacle of human space exploration when the United States led the world to the surface of the Moon. The missions were so pioneering that they are still revealing valuable input about the lunar surface thanks to the samples returned to Earth.
Nasa is opening one such last sample as it comes to the cusp of beginning daring missions to the Moon.
The Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division, which maintains and safeguards these lunar regolith and material, is planning to open the final sample at the Johnson Space Center. The science team aims to gather more information about the surface of the Moon, its composition, and mineralogy as it plans to send humans back on the surface.
“Understanding the geologic history and evolution of the Moon samples at the Apollo landing sites will help us prepare for the types of samples that may be encountered during Artemis,” Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate said in a statement.
The samples had remained locked so far as Nasa hoped to study them at an opportune time. “The agency knew science and technology would evolve and allow scientists to study the material in new ways to address new questions in the future,” Lori Glaze, director of the Planetary Science Division.
The ANGSA 73001 sample is part of an Apollo 17 drive tube sample collected by astronauts.
WHAT IS LUNAR SAMPLE ANGSA 73001?
The Lunar sample being studied is ANGSA 73001, which was retrieved from the surface by the Apollo 17 mission astronauts. Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt in December of 1972. The sample was carved by hammering pair of connected 1.5-by-14-inch tubes into the lunar surface to collect segments of rocks and soil from a landslide deposit in the Moon’s TaurusLittrow Valley.
The sample was sealed under vacuum on the Moon before bringing them back to Earth; only two drive tubes were vacuum sealed on the Moon in this way, and this is the first to be opened. The tube containing the sample had been stored in a protective outer vacuum tube and in an atmosphere-controlled environment at Johnson ever since.
Nasa said that the temperature at the bottom of the core was incredibly cold when it was collected, which means that volatiles (substances that evaporate at normal temperatures, like water ice and carbon dioxide) might have been present. The science team is interested in the volatiles in these samples from the equatorial regions of the Moon because they will allow future scientists studying the Artemis samples to better understand where and what volatiles might be present in those samples.
“Artemis aims to bring back cold and sealed samples from near the lunar South Pole. This is an exciting learning opportunity to understand the tools needed for collecting and transporting these samples, for analyzing them, and for storing them on Earth for future generations of scientists,” Thomas Zurbuchen added.