"For the first time, we have physical evidence showing us what was happening in the moon's interior during this critical stage of its evolution, and that's really exciting."
The moon flipped over 4.2 billion years ago, leaving behind the lunar surface that is known to us today.
The majority of scientists concur that the moon formed about 4.5 billion years ago when Earth collided with another big solar body, sending molten material into orbit and eventually coalescing into our natural satellite.
However, a group of scientists from the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory (LPL) have characterized how the creation of the moon unfolded following this dramatic beginning as "more of a choose-your-own-adventure novel".
It is said that there are other routes Earth's natural satellite could have taken to fully form, which would have eventually resulted in the current moon-Earth system.
Naturally, the crew has its own theories regarding the primary events that may have given rise to the moon.
For example, the researchers claim that rock samples taken during the Apollo trip may show that the moon once "flipped inside out."
If accurate, this finding could also provide an answer to a long-standing question regarding the composition of the moon.
According to a statement from Jeff Andrews-Hanna, an associate professor at LPL and co-author of the study, "our moon literally turned itself inside out."