Arizona scientist wants NASA astronauts to collect lunar crater samples.

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Arizona scientist wants NASA astronauts to collect lunar crater samples. Here's why
Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY NETWORK
AZCentral | The Arizona Republic
Thu, October 16, 2025 at 9:41 AM EDT
5 min read



The moon's south pole has an impact basin on its far side, meaning the side facing away from Earth. A new study has found that the asteroid that created the South Pole-Aitkin basin (blue) unleashed radioactive lunar material, known as KREEP (red) in an area where NASA's Artemis III astronauts will land as early as 2027.


Astronauts who return to the moon for the first time in half a century will have the unprecedented task of setting the stage for a permanent lunar base.

But a planetary scientist at the University of Arizona is proposing an additional objective for spacefarers in NASA's Artemis lunar program: Collect moon rocks that could help humanity better understand the origins of Earth's natural satellite.

Research published Oct. 8 in the journal Nature proposes a theory for how the moon's crater-riddled far side came to be so different from the near side facing Earth. It just so happens, one of these larger-impact craters, known as the South Pole-Aitken basin, is located in the region of the moon's south pole where NASA could land astronauts as early as two years from now.

Here's everything to know about the new research from the University of Arizona, and how NASA's Artemis III astronauts could obtain samples for further study.


Why does the moon have craters?

The moon's heavily cratered surface serves as a testament to how Earth's closest celestial neighbor has become a figurative magnet for space rocks throughout its 4.5 billion-year history.

The impact craters are the depressions or markings left behind after something like an asteroid or comet crashes into the moon's surface, according to NASA.

Similar craters are visible on other planets in our solar system, but the lunar craters are set apart. That's not only because the moon's proximity to Earth makes them easier to study, but because forces like wind and flowing liquid surface water aren't constantly reshaping the moon's environment.

For that reason, the craters on the moon are well-preserved time capsules providing evidence of "the process that built and shaped our entire solar system," NASA says.


Moon's largest impact crater could harbor clues about origins: Study

One of the best examples of this phenomenon? The moon's largest impact feature, the South Pole-Aitken Basin

Spanning more than 1,500 miles in diameter, the basin is the result of a giant asteroid slamming into the far side of the moon about 4.3 million years ago. Because of its sheer size, the basin is also at the center of an enduring lunar mystery: Why do its sides look so different from one another?

Analyzing data from the Lunar Prospector mission, researchers led by Jeffrey Andrews-Hanna, a planetary scientist at the University of Arizona, suggest that the oblong shape of the basin isn't from a head-on collision with an asteroid coming from the south, as previously believed. Instead, a "glancing blow" from the north created the basin's signature teardrop shape and unleashed radioactive material from deep within the moon's interior, the study found.

Scientists believe that Earth's moon formed when two protoplanets – or developing planets – collided. As a result, the smaller of the protoplanets (the moon) became so hot that its entire mantle became molten magma, or a magma ocean blanketing its surface during its early formation.

The magma ocean would have cooled and solidified over millions of years as minerals came to comprise the moon's mantle and outer layer crust. But some leftover material could have been excluded from this process, instead becoming "concentrated in the final liquids of the magma ocean," according to a press release announcing the findings.

Scientists have long struggled to explain why most of this material ended up on the moon's Earth-facing side, and why the crust on the far side is much thicker.


Could NASA astronauts collect lunar samples for study on Earth?


The moon's largest impact feature, the South Pole–Aitken basin, is so named because it stretches between Aitken crater and the south pole.


This is where the South Pole-Aitken Basin comes into play.

Andrews-Hanna and his team found evidence that the ancient impact at the site left a gash right where the crust is separated from the remnants of the radioactive magma ocean. The researchers believe that the end of the basin, near where NASA astronauts are due to land, should be covered with a thick layer of material dredged up from below when the asteroid hit.

Orbiting spacecraft can provide researchers with a basic idea of the moon's composition. But gathering and studying some of that material could help researchers solve some of the moon's mysteries, Andrews-Hanna suggested in the press release.

Samples returned to Earth would then be analyzed by scientists around the world, including at the University of Arizona, he added.

"With Artemis, we'll have samples to study here on Earth, and we will know exactly what they are," Andrews-Hanna said in a statement. "Our study shows that these samples may reveal even more about the early evolution of the moon than had been thought."


When will astronauts return to the moon? NASA plans Artemis missions

The moon's south pole is where NASA is planning to land a crew of astronauts as early as 2027.

That mission, known as Artemis III, would be the first U.S. crewed lunar landing since NASA's historic Apollo campaign came to an end in 1972.

But this time, NASA isn't looking to simply plant the U.S. flag before having its astronauts head back to Earth. Instead, the plan is for NASA astronauts to establish a permanent lunar settlement that would be a catalyst in powering future human missions from the moon to Mars.

The moon's south pole region, which is largely unexplored except for uncrewed robotic missions, is believed to be home to subsurface water ice that could be a valuable resource for astronauts living and working at a lunar base. If water could be extracted, humans could use it for drinking, breathing and as a source of hydrogen and oxygen for rocket fuel.

NASA's Artemis program began in November 2022 when an uncrewed Orion capsule launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a moon-orbiting mission to test the vehicle.

Before a lunar landing mission is attempted, NASA is planning to launch four astronauts on its Artemis II mission in 2026 on a 10-day mission circling the moon.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/arizona-scientist-wants-nasa-astronauts-134136784.html