>> SAMPLE OF BOTH SIDES.
I WOULDN'T BET ON IT.
>> OKAY, I JUST GOT A CHUNK
OF THAT SIDE.
[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATION ]
[ MUSIC ]
>> CAN YOU TALK ABOUT
KIND OF WHAT THE --
WHAT WENT INTO
YOUR SAMPLING STRATEGY?
AND HOW YOU CHOSE
WHICH SAMPLES TO BRING BACK?
>> THE IDEA WAS TO GET
AS-AS BROAD A SPECTRUM
OF NEW SAMPLES
THAT WE POSSIBLY COULD.
AND THAT TURNED OUT PRETTY WELL.
AND, IN FACT, WE-WE SAMPLED, UH,
AT LEAST EJECTOR.
MELT -- WHAT WE CALL
MELT EJECTOR
FROM THREE MAJOR BASINS,
MAYBE FOUR.
UH, WE SAMPLED, UH, FRAGMENTS
THAT ALMOST CERTAINLY CAME FROM
THE DEEP MANTLE OF THE MOON.
WE DIDN'T KNOW THAT AT THE TIME.
>> YEAH.
>> THAT'S ONLY RECENTLY
THAT WE FIGURED THAT OUT.
>> UH-HUH.
>> AND THAT, UH, WE ALSO, UH,
THEN ADDED TO
OUR BROAD KNOWLEDGE AND, UH,
HISTORY OF THESE
VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS
THAT HAVE OCCURRED ON THE MOON
OVER TIME.
NOW, WHEN YOU'RE --
GO TO THE MOON
ON THE WAY TO MARS, JESSICA,
THAT, UH, UH, THAT EDUCATION,
I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO GET
ON THE MOON
WILL BE VERY RELEVANT TO MARS.
BUT MARS, OF COURSE,
DOES NOT HAVE THAT
MICROMETEORITE
IMPACT ENVIRONMENT
THAT WE HAVE ON THE MOON,
'CAUSE IT HAS
A SMALL ATMOSPHERE.
>> MM-HMM.
>> ABOUT A HUNDREDTH OF THAT
OF THE EARTH.
AND THAT FILTERS OUT
THE SMALL IMPACT.
THE MAIN WEATHERING PROCESS
ON THE MOON
ARE THESE MICROMETEORITE IMPACTS
AND SOLAR WIND SPALLATION
OF THE SURFACE.
SOLAR WIND IS MADE UP
OF HIGH-ENERGY PARTICLES.
SO, THEY ACTUALLY ERODE, UH,
THE SURFACES OF ROCKS,
AS WELL AS, UH,
CHANGE THE CHARACTER
OF THE DEBRIS LAYER ON THE MOON.
>> MM-HMM.
>> ON MARS, THE DOMINANT
CORROSIVE FORCE IS WIND.
>> WIND, YEP.
>> AND SO YOU'RE GONNA --
IF YOU'RE USED TO STUDYING
GEO-MORPHOLOGY HERE ON EARTH,
AND IT INVOLVES WIND --
>> Y-YOU'RE IN GOOD SHAPE, YEAH.
>> YOU CAN LEARN A LOT --
>> RIGHT.
>> ABOUT WHAT-WHAT
YOU'RE GOING TO SEE ON MARS.
BUT ALL OF THAT COMES THAT --
FROM STUDYING THE MOON.
>> RIGHT.
>> IF WE HADN'T HAD THE MOON,
WE WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND,
NECESSARILY,
THE HISTORY OF THE EARTH,
OR EVEN SPECULATE ABOUT
WHAT IT MIGHT BE.
AND SPECULATE INTELLIGENTLY--
>> RIGHT.
>> ABOUT WHAT IT MIGHT BE.