NASA Finds a 728-Foot Crater on the Moon, and It Could Reshape Plans for Future Bases
What a Massive New 728-Foot-Wide Crater Means for Future Moon Bases
Astronomers spotted the largest fresh crater on the Moon since at least 2009: a 728-foot-wide basin near the Sea of Crises, carved in spring 2024 by an object 30 to 70 feet across. The impact released energy comparable to 15,500 tons of TNT, and such strikes happen only once every 132 years. The discovery, reported in two Science Advances studies, raises questions about the risks that impacts pose to planned human outposts.
We may think of the Moon as a silvery, silent realm. But in truth, it's a war zone.
- Kirr
> a whopping 728 feet across, more than twice the length of an American football field
For the rest of the world, this is ~222 meters, more than twice the length of a 100 meter track.
EDIT: Ninja'd! :-)
- JKCalhoun
Archive: https://archive.ph/88rlJ
- npunt
Basically, moon bases need to be underground to prevent micrometeoroids from messing them up, and any bigger impact like this is going to wipe out anything we build, even underground.
All the more reason Earth is pretty awesome!
Fun fact: moon regolith is made of ~45% oxygen, so in a roundabout way digging underground is kind of like having an atmosphere.
- teraflop
The article says a new crater this size is expected about once every 132 years. Presumably, smaller craters are more frequent. So what's the approximate size of the largest crater that you'd expect, say, in an average year? And would it be scientifically useful to design a mission around sending a rover to explore one of those brand-new craters?
- kazinator
Just build right there in that crater. Like lightning, a meteor rarely strikes the same place twice. It's a statistical law, independent random events be damned! :)