The Moon is quite an interesting piece of rock, and while it's the only planet-like object that we've explored by putting astronauts on it, there are still many things that have remained a mystery about the Moon, just as much as any other planet that we've explored with satellites. However, NASA says they've solved one big mystery particularly.
An extremely rare and out of this world treasure was discovered recently. One that has many asking questions about why and how it went missing in the first place. Multiple priceless vials of Moon dust collected by the one and only Apollo 11, the late Neil Armstrong, and Buzz Aldrin have been found after missing nearly 40 years.
NASA scientists have recorded what they say is the largest explosion ever seen on the Moon. A meteoroid roughly the size of a small boulder crashed into the moon, creating a large explosion that NASA says could have been seen with the naked eye. The meteoroid was said to have weighed around 90 pounds and was traveling at approximately 56,000 mph when it crashed into the moon.
Scientists and researchers have discovered that droplets of water found in lunar rocks brought back from the Moon are identical on a chemical level from that of samples of ancient Earth. The rocks used in the study came from samples brought back by Apollo 15 in 1971 and Apollo 17 in 1972, the latter being NASA's last mission to the moon.
International Space Station Commander Chris Hadfield has been busy taking photos of the Earth from the ISS for a few months now, mostly showing us what cities look like from 250 miles up, but a particular photo that he posted just recently is a bit different, and it shows a beautiful horizon with the moon rising over a darkened Earth.
NASA's Cassini mission has been spending some time looking at one of Saturn's moons -- specifically Enceladus, which is quite a unique piece of rock. What makes it so unique is the collection of water vapor geysers that are bunched up together at one portion of the moon, making it look like a propelled bubble that you'd find in the game Osmos.
If you're in the mood for a lunar eclipse, NASA says that there will be one later today, but it probably won't be anything too spectacular according to their description. The partial lunar eclipse will be taking place during the day in the US, but there will be a live stream from Dubai that will start at 3 pm ET.
Earlier this week, the scientists responsible for discovering the fourth and fifth moons of Pluto turned to the Internet for names, allowing the public to vote on one of a dozen options, including such titles as Heracles, Erebus, Cerberus, and Persephone. Thanks to the urging of William Shatner, who is perhaps most known for his roll in Star Trek, a thirteen option has been added to the ballot: Vulcan.
Ever since scientists determined Pluto as no longer an official planet in our solar system, we frankly started to forget about the tiny rock floating around outside of our solar system. However, scientists are making the dwarf planet relevant again, and they now need our help to name Pluto's fourth and fifth moons, which were just recently-discovered.
The European Space Agency and London-based architecture firm Foster are exploring the possibility of constructing buildings on the Moon that are 3D printed using lunar soil and inflatable domes. While the soil itself wouldn't be durable enough to be used in structures, scientists have mixed simulated lunar soil with magnesium oxide to produce a more robust solution.
This December most people are likely focused more on Christmas and family than anything else. The holiday season makes it easy to forget that this month marks 40 years since man has been to the moon. Marking 40 years since man has been on the moon also means it has been 40 years since astronauts sat in the driver seat of NASA's lunar rovers that carted astronauts around the surface of the moon.
Just a few days ago, NASA announced that it would begin the process of navigating two of its probes towards the Moon, but instead of landing them on the Moon, NASA's going to full-on crash them into the surface of the small, grey sphere. Starting at 5 PM EST, NASA will be live-chatting about the mission on their website.
