The moon had long been considered not to have much water; the analysis of samples of the moon from the Apollo missions showed small traces of water. The small content of it is even believed as a result of the sample being contaminated on Earth.
However, during the last two decades, re-analysis of the sample, the observation by space missions, and a theoretical model has proved this assumption wrong.
“Water” has been detected there in the minerals in the stone of the month. Water ice can also be found mixed in with the dust of the month in a cool area and closed the shadow permanently in around the poles of the moon.
But scientists are not yet sure how much water there is in the form of “water molecule”– that is made of two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen (H2O).
Now, two studies recently published in the new Nature Astronomy gives an answer, and also give an explanation of how and where the extracted water.
A lot of water
The term water is used not only for water molecules, but also the findings of the Hydrogen (H) and hydroxyl(OH). Although the H and OH can be merged by the astronauts to form water molecules on the moon’s surface, it is very important to know the form of this compound in the beginning.
The initial form will give impact on the stability and site conditions in the condition of the surface of the moon, and the effort required to change it.
Water molecules, if present as ice, will be more easily extracted than the hydroxyl locked in the rocks.
The presence of water on the moon is scientifically very interesting; the distribution and the formation of water in there can help answer important questions.
As an example, how to water and substances-xat other volatile arrived in the inner Solar system? Whether the water produced there or taken there by an asteroid or meteorite? Find out more about compound specific water can help us find the answer.
Understand how much water and its location is also very useful for planning human missions to the Moon and further.
The water became a key resource that can be used for the purpose of survival, but also for other uses.
The oxygen can replenish the air supply, or can be used in a simple chemical reaction on the surface of the moon to extract other useful resources from the ‘regolith’ (land consisting of small granules).
Water can also be used as a rocket fuel in the form of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.
This means the Moon has the potential to be a refueling bases for the space missions farther out in our Solar system or even further. The low gravity and lack of atmosphere means we need less fuel to launch from there rather than from the Earth.
So, when the bodies of space talking about resource utilization on the Moon by in-site, the water becomes the main part and the center of their plans. Research papers recently become very interesting.
New research
A variety of instruments of various spacecraft have previously been measuring “the spectrum of reflection” (the light that’s broken up by the waves) of the Month.
These tools detect light from the surface of the moon to measure how much energy they reflect on a specific wavelength. Wavelengths vary depending on content that are on the surface.
Because it contains water, the surface of the Moon absorbs light at a wavelength of 3𝜇m(0.000003 meters). However, the absorption at this wave can’t distinguish between water molecules and compounds hydroxyl.
Using telescope observations of the stratosphere for astronomical infrared (SOFIA) from the NASA/DLR, which was flown at a height of 43.000 feet, the team behind one of the recent paper was to observe the surface of the Moon is lit by the sun in a wavelength of 5-8𝜇m.
H2O produces the characteristic peaks in the spectrum of 6𝜇m, and by comparing the area of the equator as the reference (which is estimated to have almost no water) with the region near the south pole, this study reported the first observation of water molecular in the ambient conditions at the surface of the moon with an abundance of 100 to 400 parts per million.
This number some times too big so most of the water can be absorbed into the surface of the grains ‘regolith’. The researchers further said that the water of the studied seemed locked in the glass structures formed by the collisions of meteorites of small melt the granules ‘regolith’ which is already hydrated.
May others also, water can be in the cavity between the grain boundary, which will make it easier to be extracted.
Where exactly the water is will be very important for the explorers of the future because it will determine the process and the energy required to mengekstraksinya.
Fortunately, the second paper uses a theoretical model, based on temperature data and the high resolution images from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, to sharpen the approximate location where the condition of the right to water molecules to accumulate in the form of ice.
Previous research also has shown that there are a “trap cold” berkilometer breadth in in in the the territory that covered a permanent shadow in near the poles; this area is the possibility of having water in the form of ice .
The findings of the spacecraft orbiting but not sure whether its water molecules or hydroxyl.
The study of this new find there are many areas of the pitfalls of small cold condition, allow water ice to accumulate – in the scale of centimeters or decimetre. In fact, a trap like that the numbers are supposed to be hundreds to thousands of times more than the traps the cold in a large size.
A team of researchers estimated that 0.1% of the total surface of the moon-temperature cold enough to trap water into ice, and most of the pitfalls of cold is located at latitudes above 80°.
These areas especially near the south pole, so it can narrow the choice of the landing site in the future with the opportunity to find the trap of ice water.
However, it is important to realize that the two studies that investigate the area with different latitudes (55°-75°S vs >80°S) and so cannot be compared directly.
However, this latest discovery adds to our knowledge about the history of water in our closest neighbors.
This study will certainly strengthen the plan to return to the Moon. Instruments such as (‘PROSPECT’ in 27 Months) belongs to the European Space Agency can conduct measurements which can give evidence to the field of concrete to the wealth of information Months of waiting for the reveal.
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