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It’s news that could revolutionize the future of space exploration: The existence of scattered water on the surface of the moon is confirmed and in greater quantity than previously thought, NASA announced at a press conference. The water molecules were detected in the polar regions of the Earth’s natural satellite via SOFIA, a Boeing 747 adapted with a telescope that tracks space in the infrared spectrum.
The existence of water on the Moon is an old suspicion: other investigations had already detected signs of hydration on the lunar surface, especially in the South Pole – Aitken basin, precisely where NASA intends to establish a lunar base under the Artemis program. However, these descriptions were based on spectral signatures – the radiation reflected by an object as a function of wavelength – of the order of three micrometers, which does not allow to distinguish between water (HtwoO) and other hydroxyls (OH), molecules made up of an oxygen atom and a single hydrogen atom.
The confirmation came this Monday in two scientific articles published in the journal Nature Astronomy. In one, a team of scientists interpreted the data collected by SOFIA, which observed the Moon at a wavelength of the order of six micrometers, and He discovered unique spectral signatures of water molecules..
According to the report, water will be in high latitude regions in very modest abundance, between 100 and 400 parts per million, probably stored in the spaces between the grains on the lunar surface, that protect you from the harsh environment, even in areas without shade. In another study, the researchers report that there are 40,000 square meters of lunar area capable of holding water, mainly at latitudes above 80º.
In this latest report, the authors examined the distribution of permanently shaded areas, also known as “cold traps,” regions so cold that water vapor in contact with the surface remains stable for long periods of time. After studying data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, an American orbiter that studies the Moon, they found that there are little cold traps (with a centimeter) at both lunar poles (but 60% are in the south) and are thousands of times more common than the largest cold traps (up to a kilometer).
Confirming water on the Moon is exciting for space explorers for two main reasons: it allows astronauts at a lunar base to access it without having to transport it from Earth (which save 20 thousand dollars per liter of water in missions); and why it can be used to produce fuel. But here we go.
The truth is that the amounts of water reported this Monday in scientific studies are not enough to carry out these plans, warns José Augusto Matos, astronomer and partner of the Physics Association of the University of Aveiro (FISUA). However, studies definitely confirm that “the Moon has the ability to retain ice”. How much? It is the question that matters most, but it remains unanswered.
The water mentioned in the two scientific papers is present on the lunar surface and in the Moon’s atmosphere, a very residual atmosphere called the exosphere. According to scientists, this water can have various origins. One of the theories is that these molecules were deposited on the moon by micrometeorites that reach the surface of our natural satellite on a daily basis.
Another theory suggests that the impact of the meteorites themselves can cause a chemical reaction between hydroxyl molecules that, when combined with another hydrogen atom, give rise to water molecules. A third hypothesis mentions that the solar wind can also cause these types of chemical reactions. In one case or another, the water escapes into the lunar atmosphere.
At lunar noon there are water molecules flying around the moon.
These are the theories that are supported by the best scientific evidence. But there is one that, although hypothetical, is the one that would have the most impact on space exploration: ice cores many meters deep that can diffuse to the surface. “During the 4.5 billion years of the Moon, especially when it was younger, it was bombarded by asteroids and comets that may have deposited large amounts of ice. This ice may be buried on the Moon ”, explains José Augusto Matos.
If the presence of these larger ice deposits in the depths of the Moon is confirmed, it can be useful not only for the consumption of astronauts, but also as fuel, through an electrolysis system that separates oxygen from hydrogen, allowing the use of these. rocket elements. However, this requires a “very complicated extraction process” and one that has “never been tested”: “Even if this mechanism is confirmed, missions of the 1920s and 1930s will continue to have to remove these products from Earth“, José Augusto Matos concludes.
Jonti Horner, Vice Chancellor and Researcher at the University of South Queensland (Australia), says this news “It justifies the interest that many countries have in visiting and even building bases at the lunar south pole”. For the researcher, the confirmation of water on the Moon “will undoubtedly be a great advantage for future lunar exploration.”
“It is important to note that America’s Artemis program, which aims to return to the Moon by 2024, includes a plan for a permanent base at the Moon’s south pole. The presumed presence of water at the south pole of the Moon played an important role in their selection. as the best location for the base of the Artemis camp ”, highlights Jonti Horner.
By the way, The existence of water on the Moon can take space exploration even further, to Mars: “There may even be future missions targeting missions to the south pole of the Moon to refuel at base camp, using the Moon’s water to directly reduce travel costs to and from our closest neighbors.
Alan Gilmore, former superintendent of the Mount John Observatory, also highlights the importance of this discovery for the Artemis project: “The ice will be a valuable resource for any long-lived human base on the Moon. It will protect you from extreme temperature fluctuations between lunar day and night. It would also provide some protection against cosmic solar rays, high-energy particles radiated by the sun. “
