By the time scientists determined in the mid-1970s that Mistastine Crater in Labrador had lunar-like properties, the last Apollo mission had flown and it was too late for the astronauts to take advantage of the training site.
By the time scientists determined in the mid-1970s that Mistastine Crater in Labrador had lunar-like properties, the last Apollo mission had flown and it was too late for the astronauts to take advantage of the training site.
But now, as the Artemis astronauts prepare for the next mission to the moon, a Canadian expert says the remote crater could provide vital insight into what lies ahead.
Gordon Osinski, a professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at Western University in London, Ontario, said Mistastin was discovered as an impact crater in the mid-1970s.
An impact crater is created when an asteroid or meteorite crashes into Earth, melting and recrystallizing rock through shock waves. One of the unique things about Mistastin, he said, is that it is formed from anorthosite — a light-colored, highly reflective rock — that makes up large parts of the moon’s surface called lunar mountains.
“It also makes it one of the best places to train Artemis astronauts,” Osinski said. “My dream is that every astronaut who walks on the moon in the next few years will have visited this impact crater in northern Labrador because of these qualities.”
A Canadian astronaut will be part of Artemis II, scheduled for May 2024. This will make Canada the second country to have an astronaut fly around the moon. During the 10-day mission, the crew is expected to set a record for the farthest human journey beyond the far side of the Moon. Artemis III, currently set for 2025, is expected to take humans back to the surface of the Moon to explore the region near the lunar South Pole for the first time.
Mistastin, also known as Kamestastin, is in the traditional hunting grounds of the Mushuau Innu First Nation. George Rich of the Innu Nation said they welcome scientists as long as they get the necessary permission to be on their traditional lands.
A spokeswoman for the Canadian Space Agency said no decisions have been made about astronaut training at this time.
“We will be happy to support the profile and learning capabilities when the time is right,” Sara Berjaoui said in an email.
Apollo astronauts trained in the meteorite crater in Arizona, which, at just over a kilometer in diameter, is much smaller than the gaping 17-mile-wide Mistastin. Astronauts on the Apollo 16 and 17 missions in the early 1970s trained in Sudbury, Ontario, because of the lack of greenery and extensive bedrock that gave the crew the feeling of being on the moon.
Cassandra Marion, a science advisor at the Canada Air and Space Museum in Ottawa, who has been to Mistastine Crater six times, described the site as “breathtakingly beautiful.” The crater is located on the tundra-taiga line and is accessible by cargo plane that lands on one of two runways.
It is quiet and its rocks are similar to those found on the lunar surface, she said, but Mistastin differs in several ways, including the presence of abundant blueberry bushes and a lake that is a remnant of the last ice age.
Osinski, who has been to the crater twice, said Mistastin could be used to train astronauts in field geology, teaching them how to record observations of an entirely new area.
“They’re obviously critical because astronauts won’t be the ones looking at samples when they get back to Earth,” he said.
“These will be scientists, so it’s important to make sure they capture all the observations we need.” Mistastin Crater can be a training ground for choosing the best rocks to study and taking notes for researchers, he said. he.
“Faced with dozens and dozens of potential samples, how do we choose the best ones to bring back to answer the questions scientists have?”
In September 2021, Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutrick and NASA astronaut Matthew Dominique, a member of the Artemis team, spent time training in Mistastin Crater, where they learned to identify rocks that can be seen on the Moon. Most of the rocks are accessible through rock faces and outcrops and are millions of years old.
“I was already discussing going back next September with a larger group of Canadian and American astronauts,” Osinski said.
The prevailing theory is that the Moon formed from debris when a Mars-sized body hit Earth billions of years ago. The molten surface cooled over time, and lighter rocks known as anorthosite floated to the top, he explained. These rocks make up much of the lunar surface and give the moon its white glow, but they are rare on Earth. Marion said the area where Artemis hopes to land on the far side of the moon in the south polar region is made up mainly of anorthosite.
For all but a select few, Mistastin is as close to the lunar landscape as humanly possible.
The crater, carved about 36 million years ago when an asteroid crashed into Earth’s landscape, is striking, Osinski said.
“You have this magnificent view of this meteor impact crater. It’s definitely one of the most unique geological sites I’ve ever been to.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on January 22, 2023.
Hina Alam, The Canadian Press
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