8. Learning the History of Our Universe On the Moon
Peter Kokh said the moons surface is going to teach us a lot about the history of the universe. First of all, he said, the moon is 4.6 billion years old and remains untouched. It also has a two to five yard- (1.8- to 4.5-meter) thick layer of moon dust that bears a record of solar activity and weather going back billions of years. Kokh said, "since the beginning, the surface of the moon has been buffeted by the solar wind of particles emanating from the sun."
"Protons [of hydrogen], helium -- including helium 3, invaluable as fusion fuel -- carbon, nitrogen and many other atoms have been absorbed [in]to the fine particles of the soil in this process, creating a valuable resource, as well as a record of solar history."
In addition to studying space-weather patterns in the lunar dust, Kokh said we can study the rocks on the moon to find clues to the creation of the solar system, and life that may exist in it. The record of asteroid bombardment that can be read in the moon's many craters also tells us much about the conditions of the early solar system.
advertisement
