“Orak, Orak,” Scorch rushed into the dorm room, “I heard National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is planning to send astronauts to the Moon again. Is that true?”
“Yes, Scorch, it’s true,” Orak answered, “and for that purpose, NASA has already started preparing.”
“What sort of preparations?” Verum said.
“It has finally opened the 50-year-old Moon samples to study!” Orak said.
When Scorch, Verum, and Felix still looked confused, he explained, “More than fifty years ago, NASA sent astronauts to the Moon as part of its Apollo missions. They collected rock samples and returned to Earth. In 1972, Apollo 17 astronauts too collected rock samples from the Moon’s TaurusLittrow Valley and returned to Earth.
But these samples were never studied. They were stored in a tube and a controlled environment carefully.”
“Why?” Felix said.
“NASA knew the science and technology will evolve in the future. So, storing the samples would allow scientists to study them in the future with advanced technology,” Orak said.
“Smart work!” Scorch said.
“Now NASA has opened the samples to study the surface of the Moon even better. It will help their future Moon missions such as Artemis,” Orak said.
“What is the mission Artemis about?” Verum said.
“With Artemis missions, NASA plans to send astronauts to the Moon again by 2025. The astronauts will collect samples from the South Pole,” Orak replied.