A new study suggests that sources of water on the moon are more widespread than previously thought, contradicting previous findings that water was mainly confined to extreme northern and southern areas. Researchers re-examined data collected by India’s Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, which orbited the moon for about a year starting in 2008.
The study, published in the Planetary Science Journal, reveals that water molecules and hydroxyl (OH) are present over much wider areas of the moon, even in regions receiving direct sunlight. The research used data from the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3), an imaging spectrometer built by NASA to map the mineral composition of materials on the moon’s surface.
Scientists found that the sources of water and hydroxyl are believed to be contained in minerals on or just below the moon’s surface. Researchers suggest that heating of rocks and soil, as well as chemical reactions, can produce water.
The discovery is significant for future exploration efforts on the moon, where finding water could be crucial for human missions. According to Roger Clark, a senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute, “Future astronauts may be able to find water even near the equator by exploiting these water-rich areas.”
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