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For the first time, water molecules have been discovered on a surface of the Moon that also deserves sunlight, NASA announced at an online press conference. The discovery was made with the space agency’s SOFIA Infrared Observatory Stratospheric Observatory, a special telescope that orbits a Boeing 747SP aircraft in the air. The advantage of an aerial observatory is its ability to filter more than 99 percent of the groundwater molecules.
The discovery took place in one of SOFIA’s test drives.
The result is so special because experts have until now believed that water can only remain in regolith in parts of the moon’s surface that are not exposed to sunlight. This discovery raises many questions: firstly, what exactly form can water be on the surface, since SOFIA has only detected water molecules, without knowing exactly in what form it is present. “It is also questionable how water forms on the surface of the Moon, as well as how it can survive in arid environmental conditions,” he told a news conference. Dr. Paul Hertz, Director of NASA’s Astrophysics Division.
Hydrogen has also been discovered in the past on the moon’s illuminated surface, but so far it has not been clear whether this means inherent hydrogen atoms or actually the presence of water. Now it has become clear that hydrogen atoms are not alone: they can be found on the surface as a water molecule.
By the way, the water molecules were found in the Clavius crater, which is the largest crater visible from Earth in our companion, the southern hemisphere of the Moon. “Although Clavius crater is the largest crater visible from Earth, in general it is not that big. Only a very small part of the surface was observed. It is also important to note that the water molecules are separated from each other, not in the form of ice or liquid, of which we find 100-412 ppm, ”he said. CI Honniball, a Nature astronomy lead author of a study published in a scientific journal. Otherwise, the amount is about 12 milliliters.
However, this discovery does not mean that it is water that can be used safely, although it could easily be used as an in situ resource for NASA’s next human lunar mission, it is also important to know what the scientific characteristics of the solar system are. point of view. We still don’t know enough about it, so we can say with certainty that it will be able to seriously help in the work of manned space missions.
Several theories have already emerged about how a water molecule could have reached the surface of the Moon: one possibility, for example, was brought to the surface by water-containing micrometeorites, and the other is that the solar wind pushes hydrogen molecules. to the surface. and a hydroxyl group is formed. The radiation that reaches the surface of the Moon eventually turns it into a water molecule.
There are also theories about how these water molecules can be present on the surface:
they may have remained as small pearls in the regolith that formed as such due to the high temperature caused by the impact of the micrometeorites. So it may also be that the molecules are embedded in the surface where they are protected to some extent from the sun.
SOFIA’s upcoming missions will cover several areas, but it is important to note that the tool can only examine the upper layers of the surface, we will not know more about the water content of the lower layers. The researchers also stated that current results will certainly be taken into account when selecting the landing site for the Artemis program. NASA’s upcoming lunar mission, VIPER, will also be able to confirm the presence of water molecules on sunny surface areas.
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