Moon Experiences Ongoing Quakes Causing New Landslides Impacting Future Missions

Recent studies reveal that the Moon is geologically active, with moonquakes causing new landslides and shifting surface features, challenging the long-held belief that meteorite impacts were the primary cause of such changes. Research focusing on areas like the Taurus-Littrow valley highlights active faults that could pose risks to future lunar bases, underscoring the need to consider seismic hazards when planning long-term infrastructure for missions such as NASA's Artemis program. Meanwhile, the asteroid 2024 YR4, which has a 4% chance of colliding with the Moon in 2032, has prompted scientists to explore mitigation strategies, including reconnaissance missions to better understand the asteroid's mass and trajectory. Proposed methods to prevent collision range from deflecting the asteroid to potentially using a 1-megaton nuclear device to disrupt it, though such approaches carry technical challenges and geopolitical concerns. The impact on the Moon would create a significant crater and debris, potentially threatening satellites and astronauts in low Earth orbit, but would not directly affect Earth. Ongoing observations, including those by the James Webb Space Telescope, aim to refine predictions and inform response plans to safeguard both lunar and Earth-based assets.