(Newser)
– Rust, on the moon? Scientists say they were shocked to see the moon hiding on its polar surfaces, reports Space.com. “At first, I didn’t fully believe it,” says NASA scientist Abigail Freeman. It should not be based on the conditions on the moon. “But, when we find water on the moon, people are speculating that if we realize that if water reacts with rocks, we may have a larger number of minerals than we realize.” But only then is rust formed. According to CNN reports, lead author Shuai Li worked with NASA scientists for months to come up with a new theory.
They knew that the Earth’s magnetic field penetrated the Moon’s tail for several days at a time. Perhaps this causes oxygen to move from the earth to the moon, the moon merges with the water molecules and forms rust on the nearby side, the study says. But the secrets remain: why is there so little iron on the far side of the moon, where the earth’s oxygen should not reach? And how is the moon’s water in contact with the rock? Clearly, there is more to learn: “This discovery will reshape our knowledge of the Moon’s polar regions,” Li says in a press release. “Earth must have played an important role in the evolution of the lunar surface.” (Meanwhile, NASA has patented a cheaper way to reach the moon.)
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