A bizarre 'decapitated' asteroid likely made the moon's largest impact crater. NASA's Artemis astronauts may land near the proof
Space • • science
Key Points:
- A new study suggests the Moon's largest impact basin, the South Pole–Aitken (SPA) basin, was formed by a differentiated asteroid with a dense iron core striking at a shallow angle, explaining its unique tapered-ellipse shape.
- The impactor, about 160 miles wide, struck from north to south at around 8 miles per second and caused the iron core to penetrate deeply, shaping the basin distinctly compared to a rounder crater from an undifferentiated asteroid.
- The collision likely scattered deep mantle material toward the lunar south pole, where NASA plans to land Artemis astronauts, potentially allowing them to collect samples from depths greater than 56 miles.
- These samples could provide valuable insights into the Moon's interior composition, the age of the SPA basin, and the Moon's early evolution over 4 billion years ago.
- Although Artemis III was initially planned for the south pole landing, NASA has revised the schedule, now targeting the first crewed lunar landing on Artemis IV no earlier than 2028.
