MSNBC reports that human remnants such as flags, footprints, and old equipment left on the moon by astronauts on space exploration voyages will gradually deteriorate over time. Apparently, the moon is continuously bombarded with "micrometeorites" -- small bits of rock that travel at approximately 30,000 mph. (Just to put this into perspective, the highest powered rifle rounds manufactured on the planet today travel at a top speed of 1,500 mph.)
Scientists believe that, over time, these bits of rock will erode the surface of the moon, including anything our species has left there for posterity. But don't get too excited -- the total time it will take for our junk to erode completely is somewhere between 10 million and 100 million years.
I think this is great news for us all. First, it's fantastic that we do not live on the moon. The risk of getting hit with a super velocity rock, I am sure, would effect the price of moon real estate and cause a mortgage crisis of truly lunar proportions. In addition, getting hit with one of those things might vaporize you on contact. Second, it's comforting to know that when our pestilent species is all gone, the damage we cause will slowly be undone. I wonder if the same will be true for anthropogenic climate change...
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