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Astronauts and planetary geologists gather around intriguing rocks at the Ries crater in southern Germany.<\/p>\n
These rocks offer mineralogical evidence of a cataclysmic event 15 million years ago, when a 1.5-km-wide asteroid travelling at 70 000 km per hour struck Earth. The impact released the energy of a million atomic bombs in a few seconds, leaving behind a 25 km crater still visible today \u2013 one of the best-preserved impact sites on Earth.<\/p>\n
ESA astronaut Rosemary Coogan, Japan\u2019s space agency astronaut Norishige Kanai and European astronaut reserve member Arnaud Prost examine the impact rocks that bear witness to this event in the Aum\u00fchle quarry.<\/p>\n
The rocks in the hands of planetary geologists Harald Hiesinger and Carolyn van der Bogert are bunte breccia (bunt meaning \u2018colourful\u2019 in German) and suevite. When the crater formed, these rocks were shattered and ejected as a chaotic mixture of fragments in varying colours.<\/p>\n
The breccia and suevite provide insight into the geological puzzle the astronauts must decipher, piece by piece, during ESA\u2019s PANGAEA geology training. A solid understanding of planetary formation is crucial for astronauts who might one day walk on the Moon. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Rosemary, Arnaud and Norishige are following in the footsteps of Apollo 14 and 17 astronauts, who more than half a century ago chose this site as a crater simulator before their missions to the Moon.<\/p>\n
The seventh edition of PANGAEA takes the novice geologists\u00a0from theory-packed lessons to field trips across Europe, including the\u00a0Bletterbach canyon\u00a0in Italy,\u00a0the\u00a0Ries crater\u00a0in Germany, and the volcanic landscapes of\u00a0Lanzarote, Spain.<\/p>\n
The astronauts learn to document their findings, understand the geology behind a landscape, and evaluate landing sites for future\u00a0Artemis missions with scientific objectives in mind.<\/p>\n
Throughout PANGAEA, the training increases in complexity and astronauts face challenges in real environments. As the trainees progress, they experience a shift in perspective, finding motivation in the pursuit of scientific discoveries.<\/p>\n
For the latest news and pictures on ESA\u2019s PANGAEA, visit the official blog and Flickr gallery.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n