The 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing has brought both celebrations , confirming it as one of the summit of human achievement , and puzzlement about why we have n’t been back for so long . It ’s also giving scientists and engineers a fortune to explain to the world just how silly Moon landing place conspiracy theories are , although some media outletsaren’t helpingby posting stories whoseheadlines suggestthere ’s actual uncertainty .
GeologistProfessor Trevor Irelandfrom the Australian National University is doing his bit to turn the lunar time period of ignorance by excuse just how difficult faking the 380 kilogram ( 836 pounds ) of rocks the Apollo astronaut brought back from the Moon would have been .
Although the lunar rocks contain no elements unnamed on Earth , this does n’t imply they could have been bring on by bombarding some Earth rocks with radiotherapy in a vacuum
“ The rocks are all really old , mostly 3.8 billion age , and they have never seen water , " Ireland told IFLScience . " The few terrestrial John Rock of that age have been stuffed around . ”
As with Earth sway , ages were identified using radioactive isotopes . Most importantly , the older a sway is , the more of its initial uranium will have turned to conduct . Uranium is well incorporate into crystals name zircon as they form , but Ireland told IFLScience , “ We have n’t figured out how to get spark advance inside zircon crystal . ” The idea that 50 class ago NASA could make zircons with enough lead inside to look old , that could still be horse around geologists with far more forward-looking equipment 50 years by and by , is fanciful .
Ireland has a finical stake in the issue beyond defending the truth . While too young to have been part of the first phase angle of moonrock analysis , much of it was done by his predecessors at ANU , who had state of the graphics equipment thanks to being one of the newest institutes at the time , and included several expert on the world ’s old John Rock .
Gaining the heatedly contested honor of first access to the sample distribution had a price , Emeritus Professor Ross Taylor , recounts . With the world ’s media clamoring for results , he worked 20 hours a day on the Apollo 11 rocks so he could make fresh announcement at daily press conference .
Around 200 - 300 geologists were constrict by NASA to hit the books sample from at least one of the six successful mission . “ To this day , we continue to break down the Apollo lunar rock candy and they still have surprisal for us , ” Ireland said in astatement . He estimates 700 - 900 additional geologists have examined the tilt in subsequent decades , each of whom would have spotted a fake with ease .
The discovery in 1982 of the first meteorite of lunar origin also matched the Apollo samples precisely .
Plus , as Ireland pointed out to IFLScience , scientist are the bad citizenry to attempt to recruit to a with child - scale leaf conspiracy , because they are always seek opportunities to rise each other wrong .
