3 questions after the discovery of water molecules on the sunlit moon

Anonymous — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 21:33:28 +0000

3 questions after the discovery of water molecules on the sunlit moon Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 10/30/2020 - 15:33

Isabella Isaacs-Thomas

From PBS News Hour: In 2018, astronomers directly confirmed for the first time that water, in the form of ice, is on the moon’s surface. Aptly named water ice resides in the coldest, darkest parts of our planet’s satellite, like the shadow-shrouded craters that dot its polar regions, the deepest parts of which never see sunlight.

But new research published Monday verified a suspicion that researchers had long been unable to confirm. A team of scientists who studied a slice of the moon aboard NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) — considered to be the world’s largest flying observatory — detected the first evidence that water molecules can exist on the unforgiving landscape of the sunlit lunar surface. That means that those molecules could be found across more parts of the moon than scientists previously imagined...

The presence of water on the moon is “an absolute game-changer” for both future exploration and paving the way toward a sustainable human presence there, said Jack Burns, a professor in the department of astrophysical and planetary sciences at the ��񱦵�. Read more...

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NASA Thinks We Could Turn the Moon into a Space Water Machine

Anonymous — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 22:10:39 +0000

NASA Thinks We Could Turn the Moon into a Space Water Machine Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 02/25/2019 - 15:10

Elizabeth Rayne

From SYFY Wire: The moon may look like a vast extraterrestrial desert, but on the molecular level, it has the potential to quench an astronaut’s thirst.

NASA scientists have discovered how future moonwalkers can use lunar chemistry to their advantage when it comes to getting a water refill. A study that simulated the chemistry that happens when the solar wind hits the moon, recently published in the journal JGR Planets, revealed that protons from the intense solar wind interact with electrons to form hydrogen atoms. That hydrogen then bonds with oxygen atoms in the silica (SiO2)-rich moon dust to form a hydroxyl molecule (OH) — a vital component of the hydrating stuff we take for granted on Earth.

If we’re going to pack up humans in a spaceship and blast them to the moon, we need to understand exactly how much potential water the moon is hiding. This is even more critical if our species is going to establish a permanent lunar base. Plasma physicists Orenthal James Tucker and William M. Farrell of NASA’s Goddard Space Center were two of the scientists who developed the simulation, with Tucker heading the research. They believe water, or at least the potential for it, isn’t so rare in space as we might believe.

“We think of water as this special, magical compound,” Farrell said. “But here’s what’s amazing: Every rock has the potential to make water, especially after being irradiated by the solar wind.” Read more...

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