Astrobiologist uses Apollo lunar samples as mirror onto early Earth
Roll back the tape of Earth's history, and geologists and astrobiologists remain perplexed about the environmental conditions on early Earth. That's because conventional pathways for understanding Earth's history have been lost to time owing to the planet's active geology and atmospheric weathering.
Astrobiologist Jared Landry, a Ph.D. student at the Earth Life Science Institute in Tokyo, has used Apollo lunar samples as a mirror to understand early Earth's atmosphere. Previous studies suggest that gases from Earth's upper atmosphere have been deposited on the moon's surface for billions of years due to ionization by the sun's magnetized solar wind.
Landry is focusing on the Archean Eon, about 3.5 billion years ago, when Earth's atmosphere was likely more sulfur-rich than today. This sulfur-rich atmosphere, along with a carbon dioxide concentration near 0.1 atmosphere, could have supported a liquid ocean and prebiotic chemistry, potentially sustaining life. The unique outflowing channel during the moon's orbit ensures that lunar samples reflect Earth's atmospheric composition during a specific epoch.
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