NASA: It’s a priority to investigate domes on the moon

• NASA plans to undertake a ‘priority’ trip to the moon to investigate mysterious domes.
• A rover from NASA will visit the Gruithuisen Domes.
• These domes are thought to have been created by a silica-rich sticky magma with a composition comparable to granite.

NASA plans to undertake a ‘priority’ trip to the moon to investigate mysterious domes.

A rover from NASA will visit the Gruithuisen Domes, a geological landmark that has perplexed scientists for years.

These domes are thought to have been created by a silica-rich sticky magma with a composition comparable to granite.

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On Earth, however, formations like these require seas of liquid water and plate tectonics to form, but lunar scientists have been left to question how they arose and evolved through time without these vital ingredients.

The Lunar Vulkan Imaging and Spectroscopy Explorer (Lunar-VISE) investigation, which is set to launch in 2025, will include a suite of five instruments, two of which will be mounted on a stationary lander and three on a mobile rover that will be provided as a service by a Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative vendor.

The Lunar-VISE will spend ten Earth days (one lunar day) exploring the pinnacle of one of the Gruithuisen Domes.

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The data obtained and returned by Lunar-equipment VISE’s will assist scientists address fundamental open issues about how these structures came to be by analyzing the lunar regolith at the summit of one of these domes.

The data will also assist shape future robotic and human journeys to the moon, as it was announced on June 2 as part of a ‘Priority Artemis Science’ mission.

Nasa’s Caroline Capone said: “We’ve got a lunar mystery on our hands! The Gruithuisen Domes are a geologic enigma.”

“Based on early telescopic and spacecraft observations, these domes have long been suspected to be formed by a magma rich in silica, similar in composition to granite. The real mystery is how such silicic magmas could form on the moon.”

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“In order to truly understand these puzzling features, we need to visit the domes, explore them from the ground, and analyze rock samples. Luckily, NASA is planning to do just that!”