BBC Inside Science, Series 68 - Episode 8
Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 12:30 pmI managed to catch last week's BBC Radio 4 Inside Science broadcast. There were a couple of reports of particular interest and it's not every day you hear the word "siderophile" on the radio. You can catch it here.
Further reading:
- Dating the Moon (07:17 - 15:08)
Mars Yard (15:08 - 22:09)
Dating the Moon
New work by planetary scientists from France, Germany and the USA, has given the most accurate date yet for the birth of the moon. The Moon is believed to have formed out of debris from a massive collision with another Mars-sized planet. The date of this event has always been controversial as radioactive decay readings have produced wildly different results. But this clock uses a different approach, and rules out an early-forming moon. The later the moon formed, the less time for life to evolve.
Mars Yard
In 2016 Europe launches a mission to mars. ESA’s robotic rover will land on Mars in 2019, and in the meantime, needs to practice. To test it, scientists have recreated the surface of Mars, with 300 tonnes of sand. Reporter Sue Nelson went to Stevenage to play in the sandpit, for science.
Further reading: