Apollo 17 Commander Eugene Cernan took a sample of lunar soil from the Taurus-Littrow Valley on the Moon in December 1972 and returned it to Earth in a vacuum-sealed cylinder. The sample has remained unopened for 49 years, but experts are now ready to breach the container and examine its contents. The Apollo Next-Generation Sample Analysis (ANGSA) program, which handles the investigation of Apollo-era Moon samples, has finally opened its doors. In this case, researchers will unbox their prized lunar haul using a newly created technology nicknamed the “Apollo can opener.”
The device, created by the European Space Agency (ESA), is especially intended to pierce the vacuum-sealed container and extract any delicate gases that may be trapped inside. It is unclear how well these vapors have been kept by the cylinder that has held them for the past five decades, but experts are hoping that the sample will contain hydrogen, helium, and other noble gases trapped in the lunar soil.
Scientists hope to learn about the Apollo 17 sample container’s accomplishments and failings as well as obtain vital insights into the Moon’s geology by analysing the material. This knowledge will assist in the development of future sample technologies that might be used on the Moon, Mars, or even further afield.
“With the technological breakthroughs made since the Apollo period, the opening and analysis of these samples now potentially permit fresh scientific discoveries on the Moon.” “This can also inspire and enlighten a new generation of explorers,” Francesca McDonald, the ESA’s liaison with ANGSA, noted. “Every gas component that is analyzed can help tell a different story about the origin and evolution of volatile matter between the moon and the early solar system,” he said. “Every gas component analyzed can help. Moreover, tell a different part of the story about evolution. “
Apollo 17, the last manned trip to the Moon, also included the first professional geologist on board in the person of lunar module pilot Harrison Schmitt. Five mice named Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum, and Phooey were also present in the command module. The Torres-Litro valley has been chosen as the landing site for astronauts to collect lunar soil samples that preceded the Mare Imbrium lava plain. This was surveyed and investigated by the Apollo 15 mission last year. Now that NASA has a can opener capable of releasing this sample, Apollo 17 may be on the verge of completing its mission.
