The currently accepted view of how our Moon formed is known as the giant impact hypothesis. The most recent formulation of this model developed by Robin Canup of the Southwest Research Institute, Colorado, is largely in agreement with previous studies. It suggests that the Moon formed from the debris disc created when a Mars-sized body…

View of the Moon’s eastern limb and far side taken by Apollo 16 (Image: NASA) It’s now over 40 years since the first lunar samples were returned by Apollo 11. Almost immediately after their arrival on Earth these precious materials were subjected to an unprecedented level of scientific scrutiny. By all accounts the first Lunar…

Apollo 17 astronaut Eugene A. Cernan driving the Lunar Roving Vehicle (Image: NASA) Back in 1968, the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band released their greatest hit: I’m The Urban Spaceman. Having detailed what a cool guy he was, the final line of the song delivers this sting in the tail: “I’m the urban spaceman, baby; here…