Space & Astronomy

Moon is much wetter than previously thought

By T.K. Randall
July 25, 2017

Image: Buzz Aldrin on the Moon
Credit: Neil Armstrong (1969) / (PD) NASA A new analysis of satellite data collected by the Moon Mineralogy Mapper instrument on board India's Chandrayaan-1 orbiter has indicated that the Moon's surface is covered in 'hotspots' of water trapped beneath the lunar surface within deposits from ancient volcanic eruptions.

The findings are important as they could help scientists better understand how the Moon originally formed as well as provide new information about its internal structure and magnetic field.The presence of additional water could also prove invaluable during future manned missions.

"The first resource that people are going to look for when they go beyond Earth is water," said Open University planetary scientist Mahesh Anand.

"You can land much more easily onto the equatorial region of the moon and if there is a nearby water deposit or possibility of extracting water then that becomes an attractive proposition as well."


Source: The Guardian

Tags: Moon, Water