Purdue-led team earns NASA grant to uncover the Moon's magnetic past
09-04-2025
From left to right: Tabb Prissel, Cauê Borlina, Kelsey Prissel, and Michelle Thompson. (Photo provided by/Cauê Borlina)
For billions of years, the Moon has orbited Earth, holding clues to the story of our solar system. One part of the puzzle remains unsolved: the timing of the Moon's magnetic field. A new $1.1 million NASA award, led by Purdue University researchers, aims to uncover that answer.
This discovery effort, led by Cauê Borlina, Gerald H. & Sharon D. Krockover New Frontiers Assistant Professor of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS) at Purdue, has been funded for three years. The project includes collaborators at the University of Colorado Boulder, Caltech and Stanford.
Joining Borlina on the Purdue team are three co-investigators in EAPS: Michelle Thompson, associate professor; Kelsey Prissel, assistant professor; and Tabb Prissel, assistant professor. All four are members of Purdue's PRECISE (Purdue Resources Empowering Coordinated Investigations for Sample Exploration) facility, and each will collaborate within their own labs.
"The Moon had a magnetic field for at least 2 billion years, but we still do not know when it started," Borlina said. "This project will help elucidate that."
The researchers will study ancient lunar samples to trace the magnetic history locked inside minerals. Determining when the Moon's magnetic field started provides insight into its formation and evolution.
"Determining when the lunar magnetic field started can help us understand how the Moon formed and evolved, because the existence of a magnetic field implies that the Moon had an iron liquid core capable of driving the magnetic field," Borlina said. "Alternatively, the lack of a magnetic field could imply that the very beginning of the Moon was so hot, that there was not enough turbulence in the core to drive a magnetic field."
The project will be centered in the Purdue Magnetics Laboratory, a state-of-the-art paleomagnetic lab currently under construction and led by Borlina. Analyses of samples will also be conducted at the Purdue Electron Microscopy Center.
The NASA grant will support faculty, staff, graduate students, and experimental work across the three institutions. At Purdue, the funding will create an opportunity for a new graduate student to join Borlina's research group.
"This research is timely as NASA is moving to increase its presence on the Moon, and understanding how it formed and evolved can help us understand the location of volatiles, such as water, helium, and hydrogen, on the Moon," Borlina said. "It is great to be involved in lunar research at a time that NASA is turning its focus to Artemis and going back to the Moon."
The grant represents a step toward unraveling the Moon's earliest conditions, connecting today's scientists with the ancient processes that shaped our nearest neighbor. The project is funded by NASA and totals $1.1 million over three years, shared among Purdue, the University of Colorado Boulder, and Caltech. Purdue will lead the effort.
About the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences at Purdue University
The Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS) combines four of Purdue's most interdisciplinary programs: Geology & Geophysics, Environmental Sciences, Atmospheric Sciences, and Planetary Sciences. EAPS conducts world-class research, educates undergraduate and graduate students, and provides our college, university, state and country with the information necessary to understand the world and universe around us. Our research is globally recognized, our students are highly valued by graduate schools, employers, and our alumni continue to make significant contributions in academia, industry, and federal and state government.
Written by: David Siple, communications specialist, Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS) at Purdue University.