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Asteroid Origin Shift Alters Moon Impact Debris Predictions

10/18/2025

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Summary

Story summary

University of Arizona researchers found the asteroid that formed the South Pole-Aitken basin came from the north, not the south.
The basin formed 4.3 billion years ago.
This northward origin changes predictions about where impact debris is located.
NASA's Artemis astronauts will land near the Moon's southern rim to collect material from the deep interior, including traces of KREEP linked to the Moon's volcanic history and hemispheric differences.

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Story summary

University of Arizona researchers found the asteroid that formed the South Pole-Aitken basin came from the north, not the south.
The basin formed 4.3 billion years ago.
This northward origin changes predictions about where impact debris is located.
NASA's Artemis astronauts will land near the Moon's southern rim to collect material from the deep interior, including traces of KREEP linked to the Moon's volcanic history and hemispheric differences.