Story perspectives
NASA's Artemis to Explore South Pole–Aitken Basin Insights
10/9/2025
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Story summary
- The South Pole–Aitken (SPA) basin formed from a northward impact, overturning beliefs of southern approach.
- Researchers used gravity data and modeling to define the basin’s shape and composition.
- The ancient lunar magma ocean remnants inform crust evolution.
- NASA's Artemis missions aim to explore the SPA basin, where elevated thorium in western ejecta suggests deeper, KREEP-enriched materials.
