The shape of water… on the Moon

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Water

is a molecule formed by two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom . This compound covers 71% of the Earth’s surface , though its presence has been detected in other celestial bodies such as the Moon . The first formal suspicions of its presence on the Moon arose twenty years ago. In 1998 , NASA sent the Lunar Prospector space probe , equipped with a Neutron Spectrometer which enabled it to probe the natural satellite’s surface in search of hydrogen-rich minerals.

The craters at its poles emitted signals which scientists were able to interpret as evidence of water. NASA needed hard evidence and so it decided to crash the ship near the Moon’s south pole in order to release steam upon impact, however, their efforts were in vain.

In spite of the first failed attempt, the exploration team didn’t lose hope, arguing that there was probably not enough water to be detected by telescopes. They even considered the possibility that they were focusing on areas where the phenomenon could not be observed. Ten years later, a probe within the Chandrayaan-1 from the Indian Space Research Organization discovered 40 craters filled with frozen water at least 6 feet deep . Researchers immediately began to imagine all kind of tempting scenarios: “If the water in those craters could be turned into rocket fuel, there would be enough to launch a space shuttle everyday for over 2,000 years,” commented Paul Spudis, mission investigator .

The search for water on the Moon hasn’t stopped since, and a new data analysis of lunar missions has proven that water is widely distributed on the Moon’s surface, and not limited to a specific region. A decade ago, it was thought that water could only be found at the polar regions of the satellite.

Water exists in many forms on the celestial body’s surface. In addition to its presence as a hydroxyl within minerals , it can also be found as ice on the cold craters of the poles and the thin layer of gas above the Moon’s surface. A report published in the Nature Geoscience journal indicates that the spectrums are consistent and present night and day. “We have concluded that OH/H2O may be present in a range of thermal conditions that is even broader than we had imagined,” the study reads. Its findings could help investigators understand the origin of water on the Moon and find a way to turn it into a valuable natural resource on the medium-term.

Transport costs to the Moon are still very high, which is why extracting natural resources on site would considerably reduce costs of space exploration. Should the satellite hold enough water, future space explorers could use it as drinking water. It could also be turned into hydrogen and used as fuel, whereas the oxygen could be used to breathe.

With the newly approved budget of 2019 , NASA recently announced its plans to literally walk on the Moon once again, but it wasn’t until a few months ago when further details about the ambitious space exploration project were revealed. In an interview with the United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administation, Bill Gerstenmaier , an Associate Administrator of the Human Exploration project , stated that our natural satellite is to play a very important part on the expansion of human presence in the Solar System . The Moon is likely to become a training camp for missions to Mars.

The first commercial mission to the Moon scheduled by NASA for 2022 will be financed through international alliances and private investment.

More than ten missions have already been programed for lunar exploration in the next few years. Several private companies such as SpaceIL, Hakuto, Moon Express, Synergy Moon, and TeamIndus are also planning to send exploration teams to the moon.

The governments of China and Russia are also working on Moon exploration programs. The Outer Space Treaty , which came into force in 1967 , stipulates that the Moon is a patrimony of humanity, meaning that no country or institution may have jurisdiction on the Moon’s surface, though there are still legal loopholes in regard to water .