[dayglored]

> ...But all these samples were very old - more than three billion years in age. The Mons Rümker materials, on the other hand, promise to be no more than 1.2 or 1.3 billion years old....

Are they sure these new-fangled samples will be fully ripened? 1.2 billion years, seems like just a blink of the eye.

The Eye of God, that is...

[alexander_busek]

Are they sure these new-fangled samples will be fully ripened?

I can just see the lead scientist now, sampling a pinch of the Mons Rümker regolith, wrinkling his nose, and smugly intoning, "It's an impudent little vintage from the Copernican Period, lacking the maturity and balance of samples from the Late Heavy Bombardment."

Regards,