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Title: Exploring the Bombardment History of the Moon
Primary Author: William F. Bottke
Secondary Author(s): Carlton Allen, Mahesh Anand, Nadine Barlow, Donald Bogard, Gwen Barnes, Clark Chapman, Barbara A. Cohen, Ian A. Crawford, Andrew Daga, Luke Dones, Dean Eppler, Vera Assis Fernandes, Bernard H. Foing, Lisa R. Gaddis, Jim N. Head, Fredrick P. Horz, Brad Jolliff, Christian Koeberl, Michelle Kirchoff, David Kring, Harold F., Levison, Simone Marchi, Charles Meyer, David A. Minton, Stephen J. Mojzsis, Clive Neal, Laurence E. Nyquist, David Nesvorny, Anne Peslier, Noah Petro, Carle Pieters, Jeff Plescia, Mark Robinson, Greg Schmidt, Sen. Harrison H. Schmitt, John Spray, Sarah Stewart-Mukhopadhyay, Timothy Swindle, Lawrence Taylor, Ross Taylor, Mark Wieczorek, Nicolle Zellner, Maria Zuber
Institution: Southwest Research Institute
Date: September 15, 2009
Summary: We discuss our priorities for exploring the Moon''s bombardment history: (1) Test the idea of a massive impactor spike 3.8-4.0 billion years ago. (2) Anchor the early Earth-Moon impact flux curve by determining the age of South Pole-Aitken Basin. (3) Establish a precise absolute chronology.
Panel Selection: Inner Planets: Mercury, Venus, and the Moon.
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These documents have been prepared in coordination with the National Academies of Science in support of the National Academies Planetary Science Decadal Survey. These documents are being made available for information purposes only, and any views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of NASA, JPL, or the California Institute of Technology.