Grand Canyons on The Moon's Far Side: Vallis Schrödinger & Vallis Planck | NASA LRO
The Schrödinger impact crater sits near to the Moon’s south pole. Sprouting off it are two canyons—called Vallis Schrödinger and Vallis Planck—each comparable in size to the Grand Canyon here on Earth. These were formed when debris, thrown up by a meteor or comet hitting the Moon, crashed back into the surface.
Now, analysis suggests that these high-energy streams of rock could have excavated the canyons in under ten minutes.
Vallis Schrödinger (Latin for "Schrödinger Valley") is a long, nearly linear valley that lies on the far side of the Moon. It is oriented radially to the huge Schrödinger basin and most likely was formed during the original impact that created Schrödinger.
Vallis Planck is a long, linear valley located on the far side of the Moon. It is oriented radially to the huge Schrödinger basin, and was most likely formed by that impact. The selenographic coordinates of this feature are 58.4°S 126.1°E, and it has a length of 451 km.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-55675-z
This year, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) will celebrate its 16th anniversary orbiting the Moon (2009-2025). This mission has given scientists the largest volume of data ever collected by a planetary science mission at NASA. Considering that success and the continuing functionality of the spacecraft and its instruments, NASA awarded the mission an extended mission phase to continue operations. This is LRO's 5th extended science mission (ESM5). LRO continues to be one of NASA's most valuable tools for advancing lunar science.
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