The New Moon

Overview:  Our understanding the Moon has changed considerably over the last few years as the result of a robotic missions from the US and other countries. A detailed picture of the formation and migration of volatiles across the surface and trapping in polar permanently shadowed craters (where the temperature is 40K) has emerged. High-resolution images allow us to see details of the geology that previously were invisible. Detailed topography and gravity provide information about how the crust has evolved over time. Recent impact craters have been observed that allow us to better understand the Earth-Moon cratering rate. The Moon is now understood to be more dynamic and complicated environment than previously recognized.

Speakers:  Dr. Jeffrey Plescia is a planetary scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, where he has worked since 2004. Prior to that time, he worked at the U. S. Geological Survey and Jet Propulsion Laboratory.  His research interests include the geology of Moon and Mars. Recent areas of research include understanding impact mechanics and the formation of impact melt at lunar craters, currently working with the imaging experiment on the NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

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