Future Moon Astronauts Could Walk on Rocks From Deep Inside the Lunar Mantle

Turns out, the Moon has some deep, dark secrets. And thanks to a new understanding of an ancient, colossal impact, future Artemis astronauts might just get to kick around some of its most intimate bits.

Imagine a celestial body, roughly the size of a small protoplanet, slamming into the young Moon. Not head-on, but at a dramatic, glancing blow. That's what scientists now believe created the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin, the Moon's largest and oldest crater – a scar so epic it's one of the most ancient preserved structures in our entire solar system.

The Moon's Biggest Black Eye

For decades, researchers have been scratching their heads over the SPA basin, which sprawls across the Moon's far side. How did it form? What did it leave behind? The answers, it seems, involve a rather dramatic game of celestial billiards.

New computer simulations, led by researchers from the Center for Lunar Origin and Evolution (CLOE), suggest the impactor wasn't just any old space rock. It was a differentiated body – meaning it had its own iron core, just like a miniature planet. When this iron-cored behemoth approached from the north and struck the Moon at a shallow angle, it didn't just make a dent. It blasted material from deep within the lunar mantle, scattering it across the landscape like cosmic confetti.

Think about that: a collision so powerful it literally coughed up pieces of the Moon's insides.

Dr. Shigeru Wakita of Purdue University, who led the impact study, explained that their simulations perfectly match the basin's distinct, tapered shape. It's like finding the exact bullet that made a unique entry wound, telling you everything about the shooter and the angle of impact.

Mantle Rocks, Anyone?

Now, here's where it gets really interesting for our future lunar explorers. A second study, using high-resolution gravity measurements, mapped where all that ejected mantle material might have landed. Previous theories suggested the deepest stuff would be in hard-to-reach areas of the basin. But the new models? They show a much more accessible distribution.

It turns out, significant amounts of the Moon's deep interior could be mixed throughout the SPA basin and its surrounding "ejecta blanket" – basically, the debris field. Even better, subsequent impacts might have dug into these buried deposits, bringing some of that mantle material right to the surface.

Which means, for the Artemis missions targeting the Moon's south pole, there's a real chance astronauts could be walking right over rocks that originated miles beneath the lunar crust. Dr. Gabriel Gowman of the University of Arizona, who led the gravity study, confirmed that their models show a "significant deposit" of deep material that should still be there today, potentially right where astronauts will land.

So, if you've ever wanted to hold a piece of the Moon's ancient heart in your hand, you might just get your chance. Just don't ask it about its exes deep-seated trauma.