Story and photo by Brooke Edwards
Late last month, a discovery was announced that changed our perception of the Moon. After NASA built anticipation on social media around a big announcement, the agency finally revealed the news on October 26. It turns out there is water, H2O, on the sunlit surface of the Moon.
The water is not a lake or ocean but is, according to NASA, “equivalent to a 12-ounce bottle of water trapped in a cubic meter of soil, spread across the lunar surface.” The Sahara Desert has 100 times the amount of H2O detected (so far) on the Moon.
The discovery was made while observing Clavius, one of the largest lunar craters, using NASA’s SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy). It was previously known that water ice existed on the cold, unlit surfaces of the moon, yet there was uncertainty whether H2O existed elsewhere, or if it was just OH, (hydroxyl).
SOFIA is truly an engineering marvel, a Boeing 747 fitted with a powerful telescope. A joint project between NASA and the German Aerospace Center Program, SOFIA flies out of Palmdale, Calif., to observe distant objects in space from an altitude of over 40,000 feet. The telescope detects deep space objects using infrared light. With renewed scientific focus on the Moon, it was decided to take a break from the normal observing and test the telescope on our celestial partner. The Moon is so close that it filled the entire field of view of the telescope.
How the water is stored or even how it got there is still a mystery. There are future observations being planned by the SOFIA team. NASA has even been planning a moon water resource mission called VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover).
The discovery of more water on the Moon bodes well for future lunar exploration and eventual settlements. Water is a vital, and heavy, necessity that we can’t live without. If we can use resources on the Moon, we can carry less water and have more room for other cargo or equipment on future lunar missions. Humanity will take all the assistance the universe has to offer!
Source: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-sofia-discovers-water-on-sunlit-surface-of-moon/
