In late October, NASA announced that astronomers had found ice on the lunar surface! But wait, didn’t we already know? And why should Australia care?
Well, we knew there was ice at the north and south poles of the moon, but the rest of the lunar surface was a mystery.
Astronomers knew about water-like molecules on the surface, but weren’t sure if it was H2O or the OH- molecule, which acts like a drain cleaner.
Ice cream baby
NASA’s announcement was based on two scientific papers.
The first paper used a NASA jet called the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA).
SOFIA picks up the infrared light that the moon receives from the sun and reflects it back to earth.
Every molecule has a unique way of reflecting light. By examining the moon’s infrared light, we can see which molecules are on its surface.
A team of astronomers using SOFIA found H2O molecules on the sunny lunar surface by mapping one of the largest craters on the moon, Clavius.
SOFIA found roughly enough ice to melt and fill a 360ml bottle per cubic meter.
At the same time, another group discovered ice in the shadow of the crater.
Sunny side up
Dr. Sascha Schediwy is a space scientist who studies the moon. He was thrilled when NASA announced news about water on the sunny side of the moon.
Sascha heads the ICRAR / UWA Astrophotonics Group in Western Australia. This group uses light in different ways to explore space.
“It’s a really exciting find. This makes exploring the moon more compelling, ”says Sascha.
The amazing thing about these findings is that astronomers have long thought that water ice could not exist on the sunny surface of the moon.
The moon’s sunny surface is also 127 ° C. That would boil water on earth, but the moon has no atmosphere.
This means that the shadows will stay cool enough for ice while the areas nearby are toasting.
Quench your thirst with space water
Why is ice important on the moon?
Astronauts can drink the water, use it to protect against radiation, and turn it into rocket fuel. A large ice deposit on the moon is like a gold mine on earth.
NASA plans to build an outpost for the moon starting in 2024, and for that they need water.
Australia’s trip to the moon
Australia will be involved by building launch ramps and monitoring stations.
“Australia should be involved in lunar regulation. We have a geographic advantage in the southern hemisphere. This is important for activities at the south pole of the moon, ”says Sascha.
The Australian government raised a fund of nearly $ 20 million for space companies this year.
Sascha says Australia should send its own microsatellites to explore the moon. These satellites could find more outposts and expand our space industry.
When we discover ice on the lunar surface, we are one step closer to humanity to explore and colonize the solar system.
I think that’s what makes ice cream pretty cool!
This article was originally published on Particles. Read the original article.
These were the details of the news Finding Water on the Moon – Space News for this day. We hope that we have succeeded by giving you the full details and information. To follow all our news, you can subscribe to the alerts system or to one of our different systems to provide you with all that is new.
It is also worth noting that the original news has been published and is available at de24.news and the editorial team at AlKhaleej Today has confirmed it and it has been modified, and it may have been completely transferred or quoted from it and you can read and follow this news from its main source.
