Rock and Regolith

Apollo 11 Bootprint in Regolith     (NASA/Buzz Aldrin)

Not as popular as rock and roll but far more prevalent, rock and regolith can be found on many planets, moons and asteroids.

Regolith is a loose mixture of broken rock and inorganic material that covers solid rock.  The term “regolith” derives from the Greek words rhegos (blanket) and lithos (rock).

When astronauts visited Earth’s moon, they collected samples of rock and regolith.  Some were analyzed shortly thereafter, but others have been saved for posterity.  

Just recently, one such sample has been opened.  State-of-the-art technology will help scientists to discover more of the moon’s history and resources.

Resources

https://phys.org/news/2019-11-nasa-apollo-sample-artemis-missions.html

Copyright November 7, 2019 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved