Research indicates that upcoming crewed expeditions to the lunar surface might inadvertently destroy some of the earliest chemical traces connected to the origins of life on Earth. This conclusion comes from a recent analysis that highlights risks of pollution from spacecraft landings.
As NASA advances its Artemis program with more astronaut flights and a planned long-term base near the Moon’s south pole, experts warn that exhaust from lunar landers could contaminate ancient ice deposits preserved for billions of years.
The study examines permanently shadowed craters at the lunar poles, where low temperatures allow ice to remain intact indefinitely. Scientists suggest this ice holds materials delivered by asteroids and comets in the early solar system, including prebiotic organic molecules that may have contributed to life’s emergence on Earth.
