  As first noted 200 years ago by Laplace, the Moon's rotational and tidal
bulges are significantly larger than expected, given the Moon's present orbital
and rotational state. This excess deformation has been ascribed to a fossil
figure, frozen in when the Moon was closer to the Earth. However, the observed
figure is only consistent with an eccentric and non-synchronous orbit, contrary
to our understanding of the Moon's formation and evolution. Here, we show that
lunar mascons and impact basins have a significant contribution to the observed
lunar figure. Removing their contribution reveals a misaligned fossil figure
consistent with an early epoch of true polar wander (driven by the formation of
the South Pole-Aitken Basin) and an early low-eccentricity, synchronous lunar
orbit. This new self-consistent model solves a long-standing problem in
planetary science, and will inform future studies of the Moon's dynamical
evolution and early dynamo.
