lunar nearside Archives - Astrobiology

The Apollo (prefix A), Luna (prefix L), and Chang’e-5 (CE5) missions collected samples in and around the Procellarum KREEP Terrane which exhibits notably higher thorium (Th) than the Feldspathic Highlands and the SPA Basin. The Chang’e-6 (CE6) mission returned the first lunar samples from the lunar farside from the SPA Basin. The terrane boundaries are from ref. 5 and the Th base map is adapted from ref. 45. The sizes of the circles are scaled to the estimated maximum water abundance1,9,33 in the mantle source beneath the sampling sites. -- Nature

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Moon, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report

Water Abundance In The Mantle Of The Moon’s Farside

by Keith CowingApril 15, 2025April 15, 2025

The water contents of the lunar interior record important clues for understanding the formation and subsequent thermochemical evolution of the Moon.