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Scientist Casey Honniball and her team measured the wavelengths of sunlight reflected from the lunar surface, discovering a chemical trace that clearly confirms the presence of H2O.
The data that led to the discovery were collected by the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) consisting of a special 2.5 meter diameter telescope incorporated into the fuselage of a modified Boeing 747SP, which flies at altitudes above 13 kilometers and is able to remotely explore the surface of the Moon.
It could benefit from it
On presence water The moon has been known since the 1990s, when a research probe discovered ice marks in huge, inaccessible craters near the moon’s poles.
Recent findings, however, suggest this water they will be able to mine and use future lunar missions – for drinking and other purposes. The H2O molecule can be broken down, using hydrogen as rocket fuel and oxygen to breathe.
“water is a very expensive commodity in space “, said Mahesh Anand, a professor at the Open University of Milton Keynes in the UK.
Moon glass or crystals?
It is still debatable in what specific form it is water occurs on the moon. It can be found in so-called moon glass, which forms after a meteorite hits the lunar surface, as the force of the impact melts the moon dust and then cools rapidly.
It is also possible that water it is found in the form of small ice crystals among the grains of the lunar soil, which would be easier to use in just such a form, says Anand.
Furthermore, it is not yet clear at what depth the new discovery reaches water. If it’s only a few millimeters deep from the surface, scientists say it probably won’t be very practical, although from a scientific point of view it will still be an interesting discovery.
The only way to find out the depth is to go to the moon and start drilling there, comments The Guardian, adding that the idea isn’t that surreal.
In 2024, NASA wants to send the first astronaut to the moon as part of the Artemis mission. At the same time, British scientists are developing a robotic drill that could take samples from a depth of one meter to the moon. He could travel to the moon with the Russian mission in 2025.
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