What is the Lunar Anthropocene?

The Moon is the natural satellite that works with the Earth to influence the tides, rotation, atmosphere, among other physical effects. Although humanity has made very few visits to the lunar surface, some scientists believe Human activities may be more harmful than we think and are triggering a new geological epoch on the Moon known as the Lunar Anthropocene.

In 1959, humans first made contact with the lunar surface by an unmanned mission from the former Soviet Union (USSR); Just a decade later, astronauts Louis Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on a natural satellite for the first time.

Since then we have conducted approximately 60 manned and unmanned missions to the Moon, and it appears that This caused geological changes that were responsible for the beginning of a new lunar period.

What does Anthropocene mean?

The Anthropocene is a term proposed by scientists to describe a new geological period on Earth due to the effects of human activities. The Greek word ‘anthropos’ means ‘man’ and ‘ceno’ can be translated as ‘new’.

Actions such as industrialization, fossil fuel use, monoculture, among others, are thought to be responsible for changes in the Earth’s geological period and the beginning of the ‘human age’. It is important to emphasize that not all researchers in the scientific community accept this term; Therefore, the issue continues to be discussed.

The United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) sent the last manned mission in 1972; In fact, astronaut Eugene A. Cernan was the last person to set foot on the Moon aboard Apollo 17. Since then, different space agencies have sent probes and robots to study the geology of the Moon, as well as investigate missions in orbit around the Moon. The next manned mission is planned for mid-2025.

“Our bet is that this is just the beginning and that rate will increase exponentially. Beyond surface disturbances, our understanding of how we impact the Moon is still in its infancy.“, said Justin Allen Holcomb, the main author of an article on the subject, in a message posted to the website ZME Science.

To tell you a little more about what the Lunar Anthropocene is, TecMundo has gathered information from scientists and experts in the field. Check out!

What is the Lunar Anthropocene?

Just as we are harming the Earth with climate change, scientists suggest: Humanity is also triggering lunar changes due to activities that have occurred on the lunar surface over the last 60 years.. On our planet, the Anthropocene is considered a new geological epoch influenced by human actions; Regarding the Lunar Anthropocene, researchers state that a similar process is occurring on the natural satellite.

According to a study published in the scientific journal Nature Geoscience, a team of researchers suggests that: Signals resulting from human interference with a natural satellite may cause the Lunar Anthropocene. They think the new labeling is very important because they realize that trips to the lunar surface and human activities have caused significant changes to the natural satellite as a whole.

The idea is the same as the Anthropocene on Earth. As we enter a new era in the space race, with space agencies planning to return to the Moon and private companies offering space tourism, researchers believe it is now time to discuss whether the Moon is also entering some form of Anthropocene.

The study shows that The Lunar Anthropocene can be described through humanity’s interactions with the Moon, such as collisions, landings, and intentional impacts.Q. For example, they know that landing exhaust can cause contamination of lunar ice; probes and rovers are also flinging regolith miles away. Soon scientists will also have to deal with the impact of mining operations on the Moon.

“As we enter the next space race, characterized by private companies offering access through space tourism and industrial mining plans, we argue that: It is now time to discuss whether Earth’s Moon has also entered its own ‘human age’, the Lunar Anthropocene.. This idea is practically identical to the discussion of the Anthropocene on Earth; the study of how much humans are impacting our planet,” Holcomb explains.

All these changes are causing the geomorphology of the Moon, and this is expected to continue to increase as the new space race expands. According to scientists, this debate is important because there are no legal protections yet to reduce the impact of humans on the natural satellite.

Human activities on the Moon may seem minor compared to changes on Earth, but they argue that the impact of these actions is significant. For researchers, The sooner humanity discusses this issue, the sooner we can avoid a critical scenario similar to what is happening on our planet.

“The common view is that on Earth the Anthropocene began at some point in the past, whether hundreds of thousands of years ago or in the 1950s. Similarly, on the Moon, we argue that the Lunar Anthropocene has already begun, but we want to avoid this.” “Until the scientist measures a significant lunar halo caused by human activities, there will be tremendous damage or a delay in recognition, which will be too late,” he adds.

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