Moon rocks still aid Washington University scientists in research

Monday, July 20, 2009 | 11:54 a.m. CDT
BY The Associated Press

ST. LOUIS — Forty years after the Apollo 11 astronauts made their historic lunar landing, the rocks they collected are still helping researchers learn more about the moon and the solar system.

Scientists at Washington University in St. Louis continue to analyze the rocks that were brought back in the 1969 mission. Lunar geochemist Randy Korotev said that among other things, lunar rocks hold clues to meteorite bombardment on the moon 3.9 billion years ago, which coincided with what was happening on Earth. Those clues can lend insight into how life began on Earth, Korotev said.

Korotev said the late Washington University researcher Robert Walker was among a handful of scientists that convinced NASA to have the Apollo astronauts collect moon rocks for study.

 

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