NASA To Study Untouched Samples Collected From The Moon

The US Space Travel Agency, NASA has selected nine teams to study untouched samples collected from the moon in the 1970s by the Apollo mission which have been stored for almost 50 years.

The sum of $8 million dollars has been given to the teams, NASA said in a statement.

Thomas Zurbuchen, Associate Administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington, DC, in a statement, said, "by studying these rare  lunar samples for the first time, a generation of scientists will help enhance our knowledge of our lunar neighbour and prepare for the next era of exploration of the moon and beyond."

Six of the nine teams have been assigned to examine one of the three remaining lunar samples from Apollo missions 15, 16, and  17, which have not been exposed to Earth's atmosphere.

The samples which will be examined were brought to Earth vacuum-sealed from the moon by Harrison Schmitt and Gene Cernan in 1972.

NASA Apollo mission moon samples to be examined. Jamie Essila principal investigator of first team (pictured)


The samples comprises of about 800 grams of materials, still enclosed in a "drive tube" that was pounded into the lunar regolith to collect a core of materials.

The core has been carefully stored at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, since December 1972.

According to Lori Glaze, acting director of NASA's Planetary Science Division in Washington, DC, "returned samples are an investment in the future. These samples were deliberately stored so we can take advantage of today's more advanced and complex technology to answer unknown questions."