![Apollo mission tapes from 1971-72 are now found. [Image source: NASA - Wikimedia Commons]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2018/7/1/660x290/b_502x220x82/apollo-mission-tapes-from-1971-72-are-now-found-image-nasa-material-is-not-protected-by-copyright-unless-noted-wikimedia-commons_2049975.jpg "Apollo mission tapes from 1971-72 are now found. [Image source: NASA - Wikimedia Commons]")
After many decades of waiting, NASA has finally uncovered some of their missing Apollo tapes. They have since released some of the information that they received from the probes that were placed on the moon in 1971 and 1972. These probes were set up, by astronauts, to retrieve data about the environmental temperatures of the moon's surface. They were programmed to send the information that they collected back to NASA's Johnson Space Center where the data was then recorded on magnetic tapes.
Uncovering lost information
Walter Kiefer, a study author and senior staff scientist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute, wrote in an email that had some insightful news about NASA.
CNN got ahold of the email and reported on what Kiefer wrote. The reason the tapes were missing for so long was that no one at NASA was looking for them. NASA formed a team, with Walter Kiefer in 2010, to find the missing Apollo tapes and other mission tapes that have been missing for the last 49 years. The recordings that were discovered, for the 1971 and ‘72 landings, were in two separate buildings; the Washington National Records Center and the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston.
The Washington National Records Center held the original records of the changing environment, which contained the most crucial information. Unfortunately, some of the data was lacking from the originals, which led the team to the Lunar and Planetary Insititute in Houston, Texas.
By using both sets of data, Walter Kiefer's team was able to piece together the information and find some crucial data on the moon's response to its visitors in 1969-1972.
Moon climate changes
Most of us have heard of the butterfly effect, but for those who haven't, it's a proverb on how the smallest movement can make the biggest difference.
The data from the moon probes proved the proverb correct. According to CNN, after the astronauts installed the probes, NASA noticed slight temperature hikes around the probes. The moon's surface temperature went from 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, but in the areas far away from the probes, the temperature readings pretty well stayed the same.
Due to this data, one can see the impact that a small visit can make to the surface of the moon.
According to the information gathered, CNN reported the areas that saw the increase in temperature were the areas that the astronauts were working around. From the data recovered at the sites, they noticed once pressure was placed on the surface of the dust-like soil (regolith) the dirt would darken and in return soak up more heat from the sun, as reported by CTV News. According to CNN, Seiichi Nagihara, a planetary scientist at Texas tech University, stated that they are working hard on new technology and equipment for future landings on the moon that will hopefully have little to no effect on the moon's surface.
