5 possible successors to the International Space Station

Almost 65 years ago, the Soviet Luna 2 spacecraft hit a large lava field on the Moon, making it the first man-made object to touch another celestial sphere. A decade later, Neil Armstrong left the first footprints on lunar soil. Now scientists suggest that those moments were the early indications of a new epoch: the Moon Anthropocene.

The call follows a push to designate the current geological epoch on Earth as the Anthropocene. Yet to be formally adopted, the label describes the period when our human impact on the planet’s geology, climate and ecosystems became so evident that it appears in the geological record. In other words, if you were to take a sample of sediment or ice core, you might find in it the dust bunnies of humanity—microparticles of plastic, elements from nuclear bomb tests, and carbon from burning fossil fuels.

The Lunar Anthropocene will similarly be defined by durable geological markers. This can include the abandoned spacecraft, flags, golf balls, scientific equipment and even bags of shit left behind on the Moon over the past 50 years, but also man-made craters and footprints, which stick much longer on a celestial body that doesn’t really have an atmosphere.

The new era, argued by a trio of scientists in a commentary published in the journal Nature Geoscience, would add a sixth chronological division to the Moon’s history. It would also put an end to the previous lunar period – the Copernican, which covers the last 1.1 billion years, marked by the end of surface volcanism and recent cratering events.

Delineating geological time scales allows scientists to better compare different time periods. The scientists pushing for acceptance of the Lunar Anthropocene hope that the proposed designation will promote scientific discussions about lunar impacts. They also hope it will encourage better tracking of our space heritage as more than half a dozen different countries and private companies set their sights on landing on the Moon in the coming years.

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IMAGE INTERRUPTION

The Geminid meteor shower—one of the best of the year—peaks mid-week with up to 120 meteors per hour. If you get outside for it, you can see a sight like this time-lapse photo of a meteor shower in 2009.

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SPACE SPACE

SpaceX values ​​itself $175 billion in a tender offer to investors. That would make it worth more than Disney or Comcast.

China and Egypt have joined forces to work on a moon base. Operation may begin in 2030.

After eight months, astronauts detected a lost tomato. Frank Rubio, who was blamed for eating the vegetable, has been exonerated, fellow astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli said.

Starlink passed nine months from SU military tests in the Arctic. The company is poised to become an asset in an increasingly competitive geopolitical arena.

Beef pies powered a new prototype rocket engine from Interstellar Technologies. The dung, which is the basis of the liquid biomethane fuel, was collected from cows in Japan.

This week’s Space Business newsletter is written by science writer and photographer Mara Johnson-Grohand edited by Heather Landy.

Last week: Rocket Auroras

This was issue 207 of our newsletter. Send Lunar Anthropocene evidence, tips and informed opinions to praat@qz.com.