ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Hadley Rille meteorite

Imagine you are playing in a sandbox, and you notice a small rock on the ground. But this is not just any rock! This rock actually fell from space and landed on Earth a really long time ago. Scientists call this type of rock a meteorite.

Now, let's talk about a specific meteorite called the Hadley Rille meteorite. This meteorite was found on the moon by the American astronauts during the Apollo 15 mission in 1971.

The Hadley Rille meteorite is special because it has a lot of interesting things inside of it. Scientists have discovered that it contains tiny crystals called "olivine," which are not commonly found on the moon. They have also found that the meteorite contains a type of rock called "basalt," which is different from the other rocks on the moon.

Scientists believe that the meteorite was formed a long time ago when a huge asteroid or planetesimal (a smaller version of a planet) crashed into the moon. The impact caused a lot of rocks and debris to be thrown into the air, and some of them ended up being blasted into space.

The Hadley Rille meteorite traveled through space for millions of years before finally landing on the moon. When the astronauts saw it, they knew it was really special, so they brought it back to Earth to study.

Thanks to the Hadley Rille meteorite, scientists have been able to learn more about the moon and its history. They have discovered new things about the moon's composition and the different types of rocks and minerals that can be found there. All of this information helps us understand more about our solar system and how it formed.