Regolith is a layer of loose, fragmented material that covers the solid bedrock of planets, moons, asteroids, and other celestial bodies. It is formed by the processes of weathering, erosion, and impact cratering, and it can be composed of a variety of materials, including rock fragments, dust, sand, and small mineral grains.
Regolith can vary in thickness and composition depending on the geological history of the body it covers. For example, the Moon’s regolith is composed mainly of fragmented rock and dust that was formed by billions of years of meteorite impacts. On Mars, the regolith is also composed of dust and rock fragments, but it may contain more ice and other volatile materials than the Moon’s regolith.
Regolith is an important target for exploration and study by space missions because it can provide valuable information about the geological history and composition of a celestial body. For example, samples of regolith collected by the Apollo missions to the Moon provided important insights into the Moon’s formation and history.
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