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TEHRAN, Jun 24 -Robotic spacecraft can collect data vital to scientists' quest to unravel the moon's mysteries, but well-trained astronauts -- and their cognitive abilities -- can see and do things robots can't.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) -The scientific legacy of the Apollo program, including the first manned mission to the moon, is considerable. But 50 years later, there's a lot lunar scientists still aren't sure of -- questions unanswered and models in need of tweaks.
The moon promises not only to reveal secrets about itself, but also to provide answers to broader planetary science inquiries.
"The moon is the best and most accessible place in the solar system to explore fundamental processes of the solar system's origin and evolution," David Kring, senior staff scientist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute, told UPI. "And it is only three days away."
Five decades after Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin returned with a cache of lunar rock samples, inspiring decades of discoveries, scientists are hoping the planned return of NASA astronauts to the moon will reinvigorate lunar research. Of course, NASA and other space agencies have continued to study the moon using both space telescopes and ground observatories. Over the last decade, China has put three landers on the lunar surface -- the most recent on the far side of the moon earlier this year.
Robotic spacecraft have collected and will continue to collect data vital to scientists' quest to unravel the moon's mysteries. But NASA's promise to return astronauts to the moon would certainly prove a boon to the agency's lunar science program.
"Well-trained astronauts exploring a complex geologic terrain can produce extraordinary results beyond the reach of any robotic asset," Kring said. "They have the capacity to observe, process those observations, and make decisions that ensure mission objectives are met in a time-efficient manner. Apollo demonstrated the intrinsic advantages of human explorers and, simultaneously, their inspirational value."
Unknowns of the moon
What do lunar and planetary scientists want to know?
Many scientists suggest samples from the moon's basins could confirm if and when the Late Heavy Bombardment occurred. Models of the solar system's early evolution show a reorganization of the inner planets triggered an increase in collisions between asteroids and terrestrial planets.
"We know that the last of the huge basins formed more than 3.5 billion years ago, but what we don't know is whether the number of impacts on the moon was steadily declining from the time of its formation, about 4.5 billion years ago, or whether there was a relatively quiet period followed by a late heavy bombardment," said Tim Swindle, director of the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at the University of Arizona.
While the rock samples collected during the Apollo missions can offer relevant context, new samples from bigger, older lunar basins -- like the South Pole Aitken -- are needed to shed light on the timing of the late heavy bombardment.
Source: upi
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