“The moon is no longer virgin.” Scientists want to announce a new era for the satellite

“The moon is no longer virgin.”  Scientists want to announce a new era for the satellite

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Scientists are calling for the announcement of a new era on the Moon – the lunar Anthropocene. The time of its beginning is suggested to be 1959, when the Soviet spaceship “Luna-2” landed there.

“The moon is no longer pristine. We humans have been messing around there for more than half a century, and our imprints—broken equipment, wrecked spacecraft, artwork, and even feces—are scattered across its gray and cratered surface.” – writes Sciencealert.

The publication notes that already in the first photo that Neil Armstrong took on the moon, there was a bag with garbage.

“When we figured out how to get into space, we immediately decided to take the trash with us. The space around the Earth is littered with our waste. And when we send a spacecraft to the moon, we leave a certain trace of our presence, a giant ‘we were here.’ – claims the publication.

Photo: NASA

It cites a study by the University of Kansas Geological Survey, published in Nature Geoscience, which says humans have become the dominant force influencing the moon’s geography. And due to the fact that more and more missions are going to the Earth’s natural satellite, the situation will only worsen over the years. Therefore, scientists are calling for a new era on the Moon to be announced – the lunar Anthropocene.

“The idea is almost the same as the discussion of the Anthropocene on Earth – the study of how much humans have affected our planet. The lunar Anthropocene has already started, so we want to prevent a huge amount of damage. Delaying recognition until it’s too late.” – says planetary geoarchaeologist Justin Holcomb of the University of Kansas Geological Survey.

We will remind you that Japan plans to land its spacecraft on the moon for the first time – JAXA announced the date.

Read also: The owner of a ticket for the first tourist flight to the moon reported a delay in the mission

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