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Genesis Rock

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Rock retrieved from the Moon in 1971

The Genesis Rock on the lunar surface prior to sampling (left of thegnomon, which was used for scale in the photos)

TheGenesis Rock (sample 15415) is a sample ofMoon rock retrieved byApollo 15 astronauts James Irwin andDavid Scott in 1971 during the second lunarEVA, atSpur crater on Earth's Moon. With a mass ofc. 270 grams (4,200 grains),[1] it is currently stored at theLunar Sample Laboratory Facility inHouston, Texas.

Rock

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Chemical analysis of the Genesis Rock indicated it is ananorthosite, composed mostly of a type ofplagioclase feldspar known asanorthite. The rock was formed in the early stages of theSolar System, at least 4 billion years ago.^[2]

It was originally thought they had found a piece of the Moon'sprimordial crust, but later analysis initially showed that the rock was only 4.1 ± 0.1 billion years old, which is younger than the Moon itself, and was formed after the Moon's crust had already solidified. Research has shown that the Genesis Rock is not the oldest sample recovered from the moon, with sample14321 (retrieved during the Apollo 14 mission) surpassing it.^[3] It is still an extremely old sample, formed during thePre-Nectarian period of the Moon's history. Dating ofpyroxenes from other lunar anorthosite samples gave asamarium–neodymium age of crystallization of 4.46 billion years.^[4] Other research methods approximate the age of the rock to be between 4 and 5 billion years old.^[5]

The discovery of the Genesis Rock

References

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^"15415 Ferroan Anorthosite"(PDF). NASA. RetrievedNovember 29, 2022.
^Apollo 15 samples overview Lunar and Planetary Institute
^Association (USRA), Universities Space Research."Earth's Oldest Rock Found on the Moon".NASA Solar System Exploration. Retrieved2023-08-15.
^Norman, M. D., Borg, L. E., Nyquist, L. E., and Bogard, D. D. (2003)Chronology, geochemistry, and petrology of a ferroan noritic anorthosite clast from Descartes breccia 67215: Clues to the age, origin, structure, and impact history of the lunar crust, Meteoritics and Planetary Science, vol 38, p. 645-661Summary
^Wasserburg, G. J.; Papanastassiou, D. A. (1971-12-02)."Age of an Apollo 15 mare basalt; Lunar crust and mantle evolution".Earth and Planetary Science Letters.13 (1):97–104.Bibcode:1971E&PSL..13...97W.doi:10.1016/0012-821X(71)90110-5.ISSN 0012-821X.

External links

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Lunar and Planetary Institute - Apollo 15
NASA - Apollo 15
Discovering the Genesis Rock Archived 2021-01-25 at theWayback Machine (From theApollo Lunar Surface Journal, scroll down to145:41:48.)
Astronaut Scott examines the Genesis rock. (image Archived 2021-08-01 at theWayback Machine)
Anoverview of the samples collected by Apollo 15. (The Genesis Rock is sample #15415 and is described but not listed by its number.)

Apollo program

Launch complexes

Ground facilities

Launch vehicles

Spacecraft and rover

Flights

Uncrewed	AS-101 AS-102 AS-201 AS-202 Apollo 4 Apollo 5 Apollo 6^†
Crewed	Apollo 1^† Apollo 7 Apollo 8 Apollo 9 Apollo 10 Apollo 11 Apollo 12 Apollo 13^† Apollo 14 Apollo 15 Apollo 16 Apollo 17
Saturn development	Saturn-Apollo 1 SA-2 SA-3 SA-4 SA-5 AS-203 Apollo 4 Apollo 6^†
Abort tests	QTV Pad Abort Test-1 A-001 A-002 A-003 Pad Abort Test-2 A-004
Pegasus flights	AS-103 AS-104 AS-105