moon rocks

NASA’s Perseverance rover is currently collecting samples on the surface of Mars, and some of them will be coming to Earth—that is, if all goes well. NASA has a complex plan to bring bits of the Red Planet here, arriving in 2033, so scientists can study them to answer some burning questions. What’s the planet’s history? What is its dust like? And, are there any signs that life may have existed there? WSJ’s Alex Ossola speaks to Lindsay Hays, an astrobiologist at NASA and deputy lead scientist for the Mars Sample Return mission, about how this mission could help us better understand the history of our own planet and shape future missions to Mars and beyond. Further reading:  NASA Lands Perseverance Rover Safely on Mars After ‘Seven Minutes of Terror’  NASA Collects Mars Rock Samples in Historic First for Perseverance Rover  NASA’s Perseverance Rover Begins Its Search for Life on Mars  Mars Photos: See NASA’s Perseverance Rover’s First Visions of Red Planet   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why does the Moon have more craters than the Earth? What’s the Moon’s true color? Is the dark side of the Moon real? Could we terraform the Moon? Neil deGrasse Tyson, Chuck Nice, and planetary scientist Raquel Nuno answer fan questions on lunar geology.

NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can watch or listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://www.startalkradio.net/show/cosmic-queries-lunar-geology/

Thanks to our Patrons David Frederick, Jennifer Aiken, Jamie Boneleye, Kyle Walker, Evan Blackburn, Jon Mack, Wyatt Smith, Cole Smart for supporting us this week.

Image Credit: NASA.