Scientists claim that they have noticed that the Moon has shrunk and that this process is still going on, which will affect human missions to this Earth satellite.
Analysis of data collected by NASA’s Lunar orbiter shows that the Moon is systematically shrinking, which scientists believe is probably the result of its core cooling.
This leads not only to the creation of new cracks on the Moon’s surface, but also to frequent earthquakes, according to scientific portals.
Researchers have found that earthquakes are one of the reasons the Moon’s circumference has shrunk by more than 50 meters over the past few hundred million years.
In order to determine how much earthquakes actually affect the Moon’s stability, scientists compared data from the era of the Apollo missions in the 1960s and 1970s.
As the authors of the study explain, the Moon’s surface is dry, composed of gravel and dust. Loose sediments make shaking and landslides very likely.
This could affect not only the future of the Moon, but also the future of human missions on that planet.
Scientists warn that earthquakes on the moon could be strong enough to potentially damage structures that humans would build there.
That’s why, before people return to the moon and build a kind of base there, it will be necessary to carefully study where the seismic activity is greatest, and where it might be safe to build a residence, Srna news agency writes.
