NASA space SHOCK: How probe images ‘prove Moon formed from Earth collision'

On July 20, 1969, NASA successfully landed their Apollo 11 spacecraft on the Moon, beating the Soviet Union in the Space Race. Neil Armstrong, alongside his Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin, were the first two people to step foot on the Lunar surface and retrieve samples for the space agency to test. The rocks helped scientists to understand more about the history of the Moon, which was later furthered thanks to the advance in satellite technology.

It was revealed during Amazon Prime’s “Secrets of the Universe” series just how important these findings would come to be.

The 2015 series explained: “Neil Armstrong called stepping onto the Moon ‘a giant leap for mankind’, but it’s what he and other astronauts picked up that may turn out to be Apollo’s greatest legacy.

“On this and five subsequent missions, the astronauts entered a world that’s frozen in time.

“In the absence of an atmosphere, the rocks, dirt and craters held evidence of events dating back to the Moon’s birth.

“Scientists back on Earth noticed that some large, old craters are surrounded by concentric rings. 

“They were seen in an imaged called the Mare Orientate, which was captured by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.”

The series went on to explain how the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which is a robotic spacecraft that orbits the Moon, helped researchers to theorise the history of the solar system.

It continued: “The colours [on the scan of the Moon] show differences in elevations.

“Scientists began to suspect that the rings were created when an impacter splashed down on a molten surface. 

“When the astronauts arrived, they found relatively light rocks strew about the surface. 

“They could have been forced to the surface by heavier material that had sunk towards the Moon’s interior. 

“However, the rocks contained another important clue to the Moon’s origins.

“They were found to be strikingly similar to those on Earth because they shared forms of oxygen that scientists regard as “blood types” for solar systems bodies.”

The series went on to explain how a new theory was thought up, suggesting the Earth played a part in creating the Moon. 

It detailed: “A striking new theory emerged to explain the evidence

“Early in the solar system, Earth shared an orbit with a Mars-sized body called Thea – named after a Titan in Greek myth.

“When its orbit became unstable, it headed in Earth’s direction. 

“Thea hit an oblique angle, causing Earth to spin faster and debris from Earth and Thea to fly into orbit. 

“When the dust settled, the debris began to coalesce in Earth orbit, forming the Moon.”