During the moon's infancy, Earth's lunar satellite was battered by asteroids and space debris, inflicting deep internal ruptures, according to a recent study published in the journal Science Express.
MIT geologist Maria Zuber and her team at NASA composed a gravity map of the moon with the assistance of two spacecrafts working in unison, known as Ebb and Flow. The results show that the surface layer of the moon is about 25 miles thick, a much smaller figure than previously hypothesized.
"We have known that the moon's crust and other planetary crusts have been bombarded by impacts, but none of us could have predicted how cracked the lunar crust is," states Zuber. The scientist draws a parallel to Mars, noting that "The Martian crust must be similarly fractured up, and Mars used to have an ocean on its surface...If there ever was life on Mars, and the climate on Mars changed drastically and early microbes need to find a place to live, they could've made their way into the deep surface and gone deep into the crust, where it would have been warmer and more hospitable."
Ebb and Flow gathered data on gravity fluctuations by hovering 35 miles above the moon.
Zuber continues, "For me, the most gratifying thing is that it worked. We have the privilege of exploring space...To me this is a very sacred thing that we have the privilege of public support for science in this country, so I take that very seriously."