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Hidden pockets of water on the moon could be much more common than scientists previously thought, and the discovery could have potential implications for future lunar missions.
The researchers suggest that, in some cases, small patches of ice may exist in permanent shadows no larger than a small coin.
They explored phenomena on the moon called cold traps, which are gloomy regions of the surface that exist in a state of eternal darkness.
Many are believed to have gone without a single ray of sunlight for potentially billions of years.
Now scientists say there may be many more of these corners than previous data suggests.
Paul Hayne, an assistant professor in the laboratory of atmospheric and space physics at the University of Colorado at Boulder, said: “If you can imagine standing on the surface of the moon near one of its poles, you would see shadows everywhere.
“Many of those little shadows could be filled with ice.”
Based on detailed data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, the researchers estimate that the moon could host about 15,000 square miles of permanent shadows in various shapes and sizes.
According to scientists, these could be reservoirs capable of conserving water through ice.
Professor Hayne added: “If we are right, the water will be more accessible for drinking, for rocket fuel, all that NASA needs water.”
Previous research has reported signs of hydration on the lunar surface, particularly around the south pole.
However, these detections are based on a spectral signature, at three microns, that cannot discriminate between water and hydroxyl (oxygen bound to hydrogen) bound to minerals.
In one of the two papers published in Nature Astronomy, Casey Honniball of the University of Hawaii and colleagues analyzed data from the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) aerial telescope that observed the moon at six micrometers.
At this wavelength, they were able to detect a spectral signature of water that is not shared with other hydroxyl compounds.
They discovered that there is water in the southern high latitudes.
The authors suggest that the detected water is likely stored in glass or between grains on the lunar surface that protect it from the harsh environment.
In the other study, Professor Hayne evaluated a wide range of possible cold trap sizes, up to a centimeter in diameter.
The team found that small-scale micro cold traps, some only 1 cm wide, are hundreds to thousands of times more numerous than larger cold traps, and can be found at both poles.
The authors suggest that approximately 40,000 square kilometers of the lunar surface have the ability to trap water.
The researchers say the findings indicate that water is efficiently produced or delivered to the moon through various processes and is likely to be stored in the moon’s cold traps in both polar regions.
The team extracted data from real-life observations of the moon and then used mathematical tools to recreate what its surface would look like on a very small scale.
They say it’s a bit like a golf ball.
However, the researchers caution that they cannot prove that these shadows actually contain ice packs, and the only way to do that would be to go there in person or with scout vehicles and dig.
But they say the results are promising and future missions could shed even more light on the moon’s water resources.
Professor Hayne said: “Astronauts may not need to step into these deep dark shadows.
“They could walk around and find one that’s a meter wide and probably has ice.”
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