Assessments

Abstract

The consensus of the lunar research community is that a major revolution in our thinking about the formation of the Moon occurred at the Kona Conference on the Origin of the Moon. Since it is a major milestone in science, it seems worthwhile to briefly look at contributing factors, which include the development of new technologies, such as mass spectroscopy and, particularly, digital computers that would allow sophisticated simulations of the formation of planets, including collisions between these bodies. From a broader perspective, other contributing factors appear to be the early research in lunar science; the support of NASA; the participation of the university research community, both in the U.S. and abroad; and the Lunar and Planetary Institute, which orchestrated a perhaps unique collaboration between NASA science managers and the university research community.