Tag : Geoarchaeology

New York: Scientists have proposed planetary geoarchaeology as a field of study to examine how cultural and natural processes on the moon, Mars, and across the solar system may be modifying, preserving, or destroying the material record of space exploration. “Until recently, we might consider the material left behind during the space race of the mid-20th century as relatively safe,” said lead author Justin Holcomb, postdoctoral researcher at the Kansas Geological Survey, based at the University of Kansas. “However, the material record that currently exists on the Moon is rapidly becoming at risk of being destroyed if proper attention isn’t paid during the new space era,” he added According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, since the beginning of space exploration, humans have launched over 6,700 satellites and spacecraft from countries throughout the globe. The US alone has more than 4,500 civil, business, government, and military satellites. “We’re trying to draw attention to the preservation, study and documentation of space heritage because I do think there’s a risk to this heritage on the moon,” Holcomb said. “The US is trying to get boots on the Moon again, and China is as well. We’ve already had at least four countries accidentally crash into the moon recently. There are a lot of accidental crashes and not a lot of protection right now,” he said, in the paper published in the journal Geoarchaeology. It is not clear how planetary geoarchaeologists will decide if something is worth preserving. “We have to make those decisions all the time with archaeological sites today,” Holcomb said. With resources for protecting space heritage limited, Holcomb and his colleagues advocate for developing systems to track materials lef ...