The US space agency NASA has announced that it has found evidence of water on the moon.
NASA has announced a new and surprising discovery that they have found conclusive evidence of water on the lunar surface a few days ago.
With the confirmation of the founding of water molecules on the surface of the moon, expectations have also been raised about NASA’s plan to build a base there. The goal is to operate this base only using the natural resources present on the Moon.
This discovery has been published in two different papers in the science journal Nature Astronomy.
Although earlier there were signs of water on the surface of the moon, but in the earlier discoveries, there were signs of water in the part of the moon always living in the shadow, but this time scientists have found the water in that part of the moon. Evidence of being found where the sun’s direct light falls.
Casey Honibal, co-author of a research paper speaking during a virtual teleconferencing, said, “The water there is about one cubic meter of soil on the moon is equal to a 12-ounce bottle of water.” That is, there is less than half a liter (0.325 liters) of water in one cubic meter volume or area of the moon. Honibal is a postdoctoral fellow at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.
Honibal’s NASA colleague Jacob Bleacher says researchers need to understand the nature of water logging. They believe that this will help them decide how much natural resources will be accessible if some kind of discovery is made on the moon in future.
Signs and facts about water on the Moon have been found earlier, but this new discovery suggests that it is present in much more quantity than earlier discoveries.
According to planetary scientist Hanah Sargent of Milton Keynes-based Open University, “This discovery has given us more options for possible sources of water on the moon.”
“Where there is a base on the Moon will depend to a large extent on where the water is.”
The space agency says that according to their plan, by 2024, they will send the first woman and the next male to the lunar surface. This plan is a link to NASA’s preparation for the ‘next big step’ of mankind on Mars in the year 2030.
How did scientists find water on the moon?
For this discovery, an airborne-infrared telescope was first created, named Sophia. It is an observatory that flies high above the atmosphere and provides a fairly clear view of the solar system on a large scale. With the help of infrared telescope, the researchers identified the ‘signature color’ of water molecules.
Researchers speculate that it is frozen in bubbles of lunar glass or between particles present on the surface and that is why it is present even in a harsh environment.
In another study, scientists studied the area always living in darkness, it is known as cold trap. There may be a possibility of water accumulation or permanent presence here. Scientists found these cold traps at both poles and concluded on the basis of them that “The surface of the moon has a capacity of about 40 thousand square kilometers to bind water.”
What does this discovery mean?
According to Dr. Sargent, with this discovery, the list of places where the base can be built.
There are plans to send several missions to the polar regions of the moon in the coming years, but there are also plans to build permanent houses on the moon in the coming years. This is a long term and ambitious plan.
According to the Open University researcher, “It can certainly have some effect. This gives us time to do some research.”
“However, we do not have much time because we are already working on the plan to build a base on the moon and we are moving towards it but it is definitely promising.”
Experts say that once we understand how to remove it, this icy water surface present on the lunar surface can prove to be helpful in preparing the basis for economy on the moon.
If this happens, it would be cheaper to make rocket fuel on the moon than sending a rocket from the earth to the moon. So in the future, if the researcher on the moon wants to return to Earth, then they will be able to separate hydrogen and oxygen from water and use it as fuel.
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