Analyzing Data From India's Chandrayaan-1, US Scientists Say Moon Holds More Water Than Before
Previously thought to be just near the poles, there may be water buried deep below the surface all over the Moon.
For years, scientists believed the Moon was a dry satellite. Then in 2008, researchers found water trapped in glass beads of volcanic rock from samples collected during the Apollo missions.
Now, thanks to additional data uncovered by India's lunar orbiter, they have reason to believe there may be much more water on the Moon than previously thought.
A new study from the Brown University¡¯s Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences suggests that there¡¯s a lot of water deep below the lunar surface. It says the water exists in more areas than just around the poles, where we originally believed it was limited to. However, what we can¡¯t figure out is just how much there really is.
The researchers at Brown analyzed lunar rock samples from beads of glass that formed when magma erupted from the Moon¡¯s interior billions of years ago.
These glass beads have water trapped within, and the study showed there are pockets of water-rich material spread all across the celestial body¡¯s surface, thanks to satellite data from India¡¯s lunar orbiter -- Chandrayaan 1.
Scientists theorize that, early in the solar system¡¯s history, an object the size of Mars slammed into Earth, scattering debris that later gathered together to form the Moon. They believe the hydrogen needed to then form the water they¡¯re finding on Mars couldn¡¯t possibly have survived the heat of the impact, so it¡¯s presence on the Moon is perplexing. Either it somehow did, or it was later brought to our little satellite by impacting asteroids and comets, before the Moon was completely solid.
In any case, the findings raise some interesting prospects for future exploratory missions. Not only could the water lead to scientists finding out more about the early beginnings of our solar system, but researchers say the Moon¡¯s water deposits are also extractable. That could make life a lot easier for early lunar settlers, if we do ever decide we need a permanent Moon base.
