Findings of the Pragyan Rover
Pragyan rover, part of India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission, operated for two weeks before its systems succumbed to the extreme cold.
The rover successfully studied lunar soil and provided valuable data, including detecting sulfur and identifying specific rock fragments.
The rover found ferroan anorthosite in the lunar soil
What is Ferroan Anorthosite?
Ferroan anorthosite is a type of rock found on the moon and Earth.
It contains a significant amount of iron (ferroan) and is a type of anorthosite rock.
Its presence on the moon supports the theory that the moon’s surface was once covered by a vast, molten magma ocean which later cooled to form these rocks
Moon's Origins
The moon is believed to have formed from debris resulting from a massive collision between early Earth and another planetary body.
After its formation, the moon's surface was initially molten.
As it cooled, minerals crystallized into various rocks, including ferroan anorthosite.
Over time, meteorite impacts ground these rocks into dust.
Unlike Earth, the moon has no atmosphere or volcanic activity to replenish or alter its surface rocks, so the lunar surface retains a record of these impacts and ancient materials.
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