For half a century, the moon was seen as a static, airless, waterless landscape. But modern instruments and robotic missions have proved otherwise, revealing that the most studied satellite in the solar system is more complex than we thought.
NASA's Artemis program aims to solve some of these enigmas by sending astronauts back to the moon for the first time since the Apollo era. Here are five key mysteries that could be clarified:
What is the origin of the moon?How much water is on the moon—and what is it like?What is the moon's internal structure?Why is the dark side so different?What happened to the lunar magnetic field?This sustained human presence will provide new samples and data, potentially solving longstanding questions about our nearest cosmic neighbour.
