Study Findings: New Lunar Crater Reveals Extensive Distal Regolith Modification

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): A zoomed-in view of McGetchin crater, circled on the left, next to a “before” image on the right.
(NASA Goddard/Intuitive Machines/Robert Wagner)

Sciences Advances abstract of study findings:

A new ∼222-meter-diameter impact crater formed on the Moon in spring 2024. Discovered in repeat Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera images, it provides a unique opportunity to study surface modification by a pristine impact, prior to subsequent fading. Nighttime temperatures measured by the Diviner instrument reveal an ∼7-kilometer-wide cold spot that is 8 to 9 kelvin cooler than its surroundings, consistent with decompaction of the upper centimeters to decimeters of regolith. We investigate all newly formed craters >20 meters identified to date and find that all craters larger than ∼30 meters produce detectable cold spots, indicating that cold spot formation is a common consequence of fresh lunar impacts. Cold spot temperature anomaly increases with crater size, implying deeper regolith modification around larger craters. This scaling suggests that the cumulative effect of cold spot formation may modify the shallow regolith at rates comparable to impact gardening by primary craters, making them a substantial driver of regolith evolution on regolith-covered airless bodies.

Citation: T. M. Powell, B. T. Greenhagen, T. Horvath, et al. New lunar crater reveals extensive distal regolith modification. Science Advances, Vol 12, Issue 38 (2026).

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aeh9568

Study-related stories:

Discover Magazine – “Newly Discovered ‘Once-in-a-Century’ Moon Crater Larger Than Two Football Field”

Phys.org – “NASA Spacecraft Discovers a Huge New Crater on the Moon”

CNN – “Lunar Orbiter Spots ‘Once-in-a-Lifetime’ New Crater on the Moon”

Space Stories: Russian Supplies Arrive at ISS, Youngest Exoplanet Detected, and Greater European Flexibility in Space

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Image (Credit): Sections of the International Space Station. (Russianspaceweb.com)

Here are some recent space-related stories of interest.

—Spaceflight Now: “Russian Progress cargo ship arrives at International Space Station”

An unpiloted Russian Progress cargo ship arrived at the International Space Station Saturday carrying supplies and equipment for the orbiting outpost. The Progress M-25 docked at the space-facing port of Russia’s Poisk module at 9:44 a.m. EDT (1344 UTC). It circled the station before making its final approach using the automated Kurs rendezvous system. Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina were standing by to take manual control of the approach using remote controls, but everything went smoothly as the craft closed in, 260 miles above the Black Sea. A series of hooks inside the docking mechanism were driven closed to complete the docking operation.

—Science Daily: “Astronomers Just Found the Youngest Known Planet Ever“

Astronomers have confirmed the youngest known planet yet, a world less than 1 million years old that is still surrounded by the gas and dust from which it formed. The planet, called Elias 2-24 b, was identified using observations preserved in NASA-funded archives. It is still orbiting within its young star’s dusty disk, giving scientists a rare opportunity to study planet formation while it is still happening.

—Radio France Internationale: “Europe Weighs the Cost of Sending Its Own Astronauts into Space“

French President Emmanuel Macron wants Europe to develop its own way of sending astronauts into space within a decade. Europe already builds rockets and satellites and sends astronauts to the International Space Station – but it still relies on American spacecraft to get them there. As the global space sector expands, the question is whether Europe should invest in closing that gap, and what it would take to do so.

Note: Here is the podcast version of this post.

Space Quote: Star Wars is Real

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Image by Jim Cooper from Pixabay.

“Due to their actions, it is no longer a question that space is a warfighting domain…Space control is part of how the joint forces protects national security interests. The space domain is contested, and we must be able to secure our nation’s interests in space — that is why the Space Force was established as the sixth military service. Open communication strengthens deterrence, prevents adversary miscalculation and normalises space operations alongside the other services.”

-Statement by a US Space Force spokeswoman to The Times related to a comment this week by US Air Force Secretary Troy Meink admitting the US had weapons in space. The space race was always related to politics and military goals in addition to science, as evidenced by the US Space Force. The question is whether we will continue to support programs sending rockets to the stars or keep our rockets pointed at one another.

Video: Pale Blue Dot Update

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): View of the Moon-lit Earth taken by astronauts on the Artemis II mission. (NASA)

If you are looking for something soothing and hopeful at the end of the day, I recommend this video from Aeon magazine. It is all about the image you see above from the Artemis II mission, and it provides some helpful context to better understand our position in this universe of ours.

I think Carl Sagan would like the narrative as well.