This Week in Space 186: Snow on the Moon?

Snow on the moon? Yes, though not recently... but maybe billions of years ago. Recent discoveries indicate that the early moon, orbiting just 20,000 miles above our planet at the time, may have shared a dynamic magnetic field with that of the Earth, resulting in the moon having an early atmosphere about twice as dense as the Martian atmosphere is today! This has wide implications for planetary science, but perhaps our favorite is that it may have snowed both carbon dioxide and water ice on the moon back in the day. We're also talking about the amazing launch and recovery of New Glenn, the plight of the Chinese taikonauts aboard the Tiangong space station, and a recent SpaceX memo about—no surprises here—a delay to their lunar landing program for Artemis III. Join us!

Headlines:

• China's Shenzhou Astronauts Still Dealing with Stricken Spacecraft
• Blue Origin's New Glenn Rocket Launches and Lands, Sends Probes Toward Mars
• Comet C/2025 K1 Atlas Breaks Up After Solar Flyby
• SpaceX Artemis Moon Landing Delayed to 2028

Main Topic: Moon Volatiles and Lunar Science

• The Moon's Formation and the Giant Impact Hypothesis
• Intertwined Magnetic Fields on the Early Moon and Earth
• Transmission of Earth Atmosphere and Volatiles to Lunar Surface
• Lunar Outgassing, Volcanism, and Creation of an Ancient Lunar Atmosphere
• Permanently Shadowed Regions as Time Capsules of Early Moon and Earth
• Scientific Importance of NASA's VIPER Rover for Analyzing Polar Ices and Volatiles
• Commercial and Scientific Value of Moon's Minerals and Resources
• Long-Term Preservation of Lunar Samples for Future Research
• Early Moon Weather: Volatile Snow, Atmosphere Collapse, and What It Means for Lunar Resources
• Educational Outreach through Virtual Space Science Experiences

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Dr. Jim Green

Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!
Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit