A new era on the Moon has officially begun

Scientists say the world needs to announce the Lunar Anthropocene, thereby opening a new phase for the aerospace industry.

The concept of the Moon has been known to humans for a long time. Even the surface of the Moon has been conquered by us for more than half a century. Fingerprints, decommissioned equipment, crashed spacecraft, and even trash have appeared on the surface of the Moon.

Photo simulating a city on the Moon. (Photo: Space).

Scientists say the "time" has come, when humans officially become the dominant force, and create certain impacts on the Moon.

They argue that we need to declare a new era on the Moon, called the Lunar Anthropocene . In fact, this period began when the Soviet Union successfully landed the Luna 2 spacecraft in 1959.

'On Earth, the Anthropocene began at some point in the past, whether it was hundreds of thousands of years ago, or the 1950s,' said Justin Holcomb, a planetary geologist at the University of Kansas.

"Similarly on the Moon, we believe it is time to declare that the Lunar Anthropocene has begun."

In their paper, Holcomb and colleagues offer their thoughts on assessing and cataloging human impacts on the Moon. They argue that human culture is beginning to move the Moon beyond its natural, geological foundations.

This process involves allowing ourselves to move sediments, also known as "regolith ," on the Moon to different places, and even bring them back to Earth for study.

We are interfering too much with the Moon's surface layer, and gradually pushing it beyond its natural foundation (Photo: NASA).

The team claims that our activities are significantly disturbing the lunar surface . With the space race becoming increasingly competitive, the lunar landscape could look very different in 50 years.

Holcomb and colleagues also warn that international policies are needed to preserve the Moon's cultural history , considering it our heritage and an important part of human history.

'As archaeologists, we see the lunar footprints as an extension of humanity's journey out of Africa, a milestone in our species' existence ,' Holcomb said.

Still, they warn that the Moon's condition could get worse as more missions head to Earth's fascinating satellite in the coming years.