The latest spectroscopic data shows that water does exist on the Moon’s surface somewhat, it could be used as rocket fuel and oxygen for future expeditions.
The latest spectroscopic data shows that water does exist on the Moon’s surface somewhat, it could be used as rocket fuel and oxygen for future expeditions.
The new research completely contradicts previous theories that water exists primarily as ice in craters near the poles. The first signals were recorded for many years before being presented to the public. Specifically, in 2009, for the first time, the Indian Chandrayaan -1 spectrophotometer and two other NASA devices found signs of water on the surface of the Moon, reflecting sunlight.
Of course, the shape of water is not the same as on Earth, so we cannot see it as a lake or a river in our world. The researchers also said that the moon’s water could exist in static form and change periodically, regardless of the composition of the surface on which it exists.
Dr Michael Poston of the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), one of the authors of the recently published article, explains: “When you divide water molecules, you have oxygen and hydrogen, the ingredients which make up the air to breathe and rocket fuel “.
Scientists are still figuring out what chemical formula the Moon’s water exists in: H2O (water) or OH (hydroxyl), or a mixture of the two, and where it comes from. OH – hydroxyl is a compound that can be used as fuel for rockets.
