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NASA has discovered for the first time water in the part of the moon that the sun reaches. Previously, the space authority had only been able to prove that there is water on the dark side of the moon.
The discovery was made within the Stratospheric Infrared Astronomy Observatory project, SOFIA, where NASA researchers work together with researchers from the German-German Aerospace Center.
Important for future research
The researchers report that they have found the water in one of the largest craters on the moon, the so-called Clavius crater, which is visible from earth.
– We had indications that H20, the water we know, could be on the sunny side of the moon, says Paul Hertz, leader of NASA’s astrophysics unit, at a press conference.
– Now we know it’s there. This discovery changes our understanding of the moon’s surface and raises questions about resources relevant to deep space exploration, Hertz continues.
Generate questions
The discovery has now been published in the journal Nature Astronomy. Lead author Casey Honniball says there are still unanswered questions about the water found.
This includes how water can exist even on the site.
Without a thick atmosphere, the water on the sunny side of the moon should disappear into space. But somehow we see it. Something generates the water and something must keep it there, it says in a NASA press release.
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