NASA Scientists Want to Obtain 'Fragments' From Deep Inside Moon

NASA would like to study lunar mantle bubbles that reached the surface.Rock CollectingAlthough the Moon appears barren and lifeless, NASA scientists discovered that there is geological activity on the Moon. They want to take samples of these minerals and rock from the deeper lunar layers.NASA would like to study and obtain fragments of the Moon's mantle. Thanks to Tuesday's research in Nature Communications, they now know where to look.Scientists have a rare opportunity to study the inner layers of Moon, which allows them to discover how different planets and space rocks formed. The space agency hopes to make use of this opportunity by launching future sample collection missions.Lunar ChurnNASA researchers report that rocks that originally sank to Moon's mantle in the past are now trapped or forced to surface by denseer rocks that took longer time to solidify from Moon's ancient magma ocean.AdvertisementAdvertisementAccording to NASA researcher Daniel Moriarty, the lead author of the study and NASA researcher, the bottom line is that the development of the lunar mantle has been more complex than initially thought. Minerals that crystallize early and sink later are more dense than those that crystallize earlier and sink later.This creates an unstable situation, with lighter material at the bottom trying to rise and heavier material at the top falling. Moriarty explained. This process is called gravitational Overturn. It does not happen in an orderly manner. Instead, it becomes chaotic with lots of unexpected stragglers.These fragments of resurfaced material, which are particularly abundant around the Moon's south pole, could be a valuable target for future sample returns missions. Researchers believe they can provide new insight into the Moon's layers and help scientists understand how it came to be.READ MORE: NASA Identifies Likely Places of Early Molten Moons Deep Secrets [NASA]AdvertisementAdvertisementMore on the Moon: China Discovers an Unusual Shard on Far Side of Moon