Researchers discovered that the Moon’s oldest and darkest craters contain the highest amounts of water ice.
Lunar Water Ice Discovery:The Moon is expected to evolve into a new status that goes beyond its current role as Earth’s satellite. New scientific findings show that ancient lunar ice deposits which exist in permanent shadowed areas of Moon polar craters will serve as essential supplies for upcoming deep-space missions. Scientists believe that these frozen supplies will enable the Moon to function as a refueling station which will support both Mars missions and other space exploration activities.
A new study which appears in Nature Astronomy shows that Moon water ice has been accumulating in permanent shadowed craters for almost 1.5 billion years. The regions which exist mostly around the lunar south pole experience permanent darkness which creates conditions that enable ice to remain frozen throughout geological time periods.
Researchers discovered that the Moon’s oldest and darkest craters contain the highest amounts of water ice. Haworth Crater, for example, has remained in shadow for more than 3 billion years and is considered one of the strongest candidates for significant ice deposits.
Launching spacecraft from Earth is expensive because rockets must escape Earth’s strong gravity while carrying massive fuel loads. The Moon’s gravity is only about one-sixth of Earth’s, making launches far easier and cheaper.
If fuel can be produced on the Moon, spacecraft could:
“What’s clear is that the ice has a patchy distribution,” said Hayne in a statement. “It’s not concentrated in the same quantities in every crater. And there was no great explanation for that”, scientists Paul Hayne of the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado said. This concept is why experts increasingly describe the Moon as a future space gas station.
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NASA is actively developing systems designed to use lunar and Martian ice for fuel production. One major project, called CryoFILL (Cryogenic Fluid In-Situ Liquefaction for Landers), is testing ways to liquefy oxygen extracted from water ice so it can be used as rocket propellant.
“It looks like the moon’s oldest craters also have the most ice,” said Hayne. “That implies the moon has been accumulating water more or less continuously for as much as 3 or 3.5 billion years.”
NASA says producing fuel on the Moon could dramatically reduce the amount of propellant spacecraft must launch from Earth.
NASA’s Artemis program is heavily focused on the Moon’s south pole because of its potential ice resources. These missions aim to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon while developing technologies needed for eventual Mars exploration.
The south polar region is considered one of the most strategically important areas in future space exploration. “Ultimately, the question of the source of the moon’s water will only be solved by sample analysis,” said Hayne. “We will need to go to the moon to analyze those samples there or find ways to bring them from the moon back to Earth.
