Shielding the Moon: How NASA Models Micrometeoroid Threats to Future Artemis Bases
Daniel A. Yahalomi and colleagues used NASA’s Meteoroid Engineering Model to predict how often micrometeoroids strike a lunar base. They found that an unshielded base would face up to 23,000 impacts yearly, but modern Whipple shields block 99.9997% of them. A shielded base might experience a penetrating impact only once every few decades, with the lunar south pole emerging as the safest site for long-term Artemis missions.
Cold Clues: JWST Detects Multiple Forms of CO₂ on Saturn’s Moons
Using JWST, Brown et al. detected carbon dioxide ice on eight of Saturn’s moons, revealing four distinct trapping mechanisms. Inner moons show CO₂ trapped in amorphous water ice and dark material, while outer moons display CO₂ linked to organic-rich regions and unique icy environments. These findings suggest complex surface chemistry and highlight the need for further lab and observational studies.
Lunar Launchpads: How the Moon Might Be Creating Earth’s Orbiting Companions
This study explores how fragments from the Moon, ejected during impacts, could become Earth’s co-orbital companions. Simulations show that about 6.7% of lunar ejecta can enter such orbits, especially when launched from equatorial regions at specific speeds. The findings support a lunar origin for objects like Kamo’oalewa and suggest a steady process replenishing these near-Earth companions over time.