During the Apollo program, astronauts hammered and drilled tubes into the Moon's surface to pull out soil buried down to 2 ft (70 cm) below. This sample was collected during #Apollo14. 
In 1972, #Apollo17 astronauts drove tubes into the lunar surface to reach deeper for Moon soil. Some of these samples were vacuum-sealed on the spot, delivered to @NASA_Johnson, and unopened until 2019.
Now, scientists at @NASAGoddard use cutting-edge instruments that didn't exist during the Apollo era to study the #Apollo17 samples. They're learning how the Moon's surface chemistry was shaped over eons by radiation from space & from the Sun. Learn more: go.nasa.gov/2YX50dT
The safe-handling and storage techniques from the Apollo era are setting the stage for the preservation of samples to be collected during @NASAArtemis missions.
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