What provided the final, undeniable proof regarding the formation age and history of the lunar surfaces?
Answer
Lunar rock samples returned by the Apollo missions
The Apollo missions returned physical rock samples to Earth, allowing scientists to date the formation of regions and confirm that the oldest surfaces had the highest density of large, ancient impact basins.
Related Questions
What did ancient civilizations interpret the dark circular markings on the Moon as?What observation allowed Galileo Galilei to confirm that lunar features possessed significant relief?What was the primary geological origin initially favored by Galileo and his contemporaries for the lunar structures?What specific morphological challenge did the prevalence of circular craters pose to the long-standing volcanic hypothesis?What feature of the Moon helps preserve its ancient impact record, unlike Earth's surface?What terrestrial site provided scientists with tangible physical evidence that shifted thinking toward impact mechanics?What key factor made the Moon an even more susceptible target for high-velocity impacts than Earth?When did the scientific acceptance of the impact origin theory solidify based on statistical evidence and space exploration?What did the close-up images from the Ranger missions reveal that strongly supported the impact hypothesis?What provided the final, undeniable proof regarding the formation age and history of the lunar surfaces?What specific feature, currently studied by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), helps refine our understanding of recent lunar processes?