NASA spacecraft discovers a huge new crater on the moon
The crater measures 222 meters wide and may help scientists assess debris risks for future lunar bases, NASA said.
- NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter discovered a massive new crater on the lunar surface, detailed in two studies appearing Wednesday in Science Advances, lead author Mark Robinson said.
- Named for the late Thomas McGetchin, a former director of Houston's Lunar and Planetary Institute, the crater spans about 728 feet across and is up to 141 feet deep.
- Co-Author David Paige of the University of California, Los Angeles, likens the impact to gardening, with sediments churned across more than 66 miles of the lunar surface.
- Scientists aim to calculate risks of ejected material striking NASA's planned lunar base, as such impacts occur once every 132 years, helping engineers harden structures.
- The LRO shows the lunar top inch of soil is overturned every 80,000 years, meaning Apollo moonwalkers' footprints will "definitely be long gone in that time frame," Robinson said.
178 Articles
178 Articles
Researchers have identified an imposing crater recently formed on the surface of the Moon, a rare discovery that offers new perspectives for lunar geology.
It had gone unnoticed for more than two years. An imposing crater of 222 meters in diameter has just been identified on the surface of the Moon thanks to the images of a NASA probe.
Larger than Rome's Colosseum, researchers say it is the biggest contemporary impact crater observed to have formed anywhere in Solar System
Scientists Made A 'Once In A Century' Moon Discovery During A Routine Check
Space research body NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, has been studying the surface of the moon since 2009. It helps astronauts work out where to land and finds resources like water and extended sunlight to help power on-site tools.But when NASA scientist and image processing specialist Robert Wagner spotted a huge bright spot in its recordings, surrounded by a dark “halo” that suggested a disturbance and displaced rock, he said he “s…
Researchers from the U.S. space agency NASA have now discovered a huge recently formed crater on the moon. According to information, it is the largest new crater ever found in our solar system. The crater that was named McGetchin had a diameter of 222 meters, NASA announced on Wednesday. According to a study published in the journal "Science Advances", such an event only comes "once in the century or even less." esKrater remained unnoticed for t…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 55% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
