Title: New Study Confirms Enhanced Possibility of Water Ice Occurrence in Lunar Poles
A groundbreaking study conducted by Indian space scientists has discovered compelling evidence of an increased likelihood of water ice occurrence in the polar craters of the Moon. The study was carried out by scientists from ISRO’s Space Applications Centre (SAC), in collaboration with researchers from IIT Kanpur, University of Southern California, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and IIT (ISM) Dhanbad.
The research suggests that the amount of sub-surface ice in the first couple of meters is about five to eight times larger than the one on the surface in both poles. This finding has significant implications for future missions and long-term human presence on the Moon, as drilling on the moon to sample or excavate that ice will be essential. Moreover, the study also reveals that the extent of water ice in the northern polar region is twice that in the southern polar region.
The origin of this ice has been traced back to out-gassing during volcanism in the Imbrian period, confirming a long-standing hypothesis. Furthermore, the distribution of water ice is likely governed by mare volcanism and preferential impact cratering.
The research team used seven instruments, including radar, laser, optical, neutron spectrometer, ultra-violet spectrometer, and thermal radiometer onboard the NASA robotic spacecraft Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to understand the origin and distribution of water ice on the Moon. Precise knowledge of the distribution and depth of water ice occurrence in the lunar poles, as presented in the investigation, is crucial for reducing uncertainties in selecting future landing and sampling sites for missions aimed at exploring and characterizing lunar volatiles.
This result also supports a previous study of SAC-ISRO pointing out the possibility of the presence of water ice in some of the polar craters, utilizing polarimetric radar data from Chandrayaan-2 Dual-frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar instrument. This study is critical for supporting ISRO’s future in-situ volatile exploration plans on the Moon.
Overall, this new study not only confirms the presence of water ice in the lunar poles but also provides valuable insights into its origin and distribution. These findings are expected to have significant implications for future lunar missions and human exploration.