UPDATED: August 4, 2021 13:30 IST
The thorium concentration across the vast South Pole – Aitken Basin on the lunar farside reveals the distribution of mantle materials violently ejected during the basin-forming impact. (Photo: Nasa)
As countries rush to dominate the new age space race, the Moon has emerged as a hot piece of real estate that could act as a base for deeper exploration of the universe as humans vie to become an interplanetary species. But it could also be the site of some rare Earth minerals and resources.
Researchers have identified the lunar south pole as a prime location that could harbour these materials and resources while hiding some of the biggest secrets of Earth s natural satellite including answers to how it was formed in the first place and how other worlds in the solar system evolved.
Precious minerals and the potential for large profits could lie behind the renaissance of our lunar ambitions
28 July 2021 • 5:00am
For centuries, humans have produced books, paintings, poems, and one famous Pink Floyd album about the mysterious “dark side” of the Moon
Those old enough to remember it describe the events of July 20 1969 as a moment of near-incomparable excitement, as a 38-year-old Neil Armstrong became the first human to step on to the Moon’s cratered surface, followed by co-engineer Buzz Aldrin. A further 10 astronauts walked on the Moon in the following three years, all of them American.
Then, interest quickly waned: since 1972, nobody has returned. The American flag planted by Armstrong on that first visit is probably still there, think scientists – there’s just nobody around to see it.
New advances inspire China s deep space exploration--China Economic Net en.ce.cn - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from en.ce.cn Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Welcome back to our Life in 2050 series. Our previous installments explored how the world of warfare, economics, and life at home could drastically change by mid-century. For our fourth installment, we will be taking a look at what will be happening beyond Earth. This will include everything from Earth orbit to the very edge of the solar system. and beyond.
In the next three decades, human beings will enter the realm of space like never before. This is due in part to the way that public interest in space exploration has been revitalized, thanks to a number of exciting missions that have been mounted since the turn of the century and growing public engagement through social media.