Our understanding of the origin and evolution of basaltic meteorites has be
en strongly linked to how we understand the origin and evolution of Moon ro
cks. At one point, basaltic meteorites were thought to have come from the M
oon; when Apollo samples were found to be chemically distinct from the HED
and SNC meteorite families, new ideas for origins were demanded. Yet the ve
ry techniques that were developed to understand the evolution of lunar basa
lts have been found most useful when applied to extra-lunar basalts; likewi
se, perhaps a deeper understanding of basaltic asteroids such as 4 Vesta wi
ll eventually provide insights into lunar evolution.