Context:
As countries like the US, China, Russia, and India develop plans for long-term stations on the moon, water available on the moon itself is emerging as a vital resource. Aside from meeting the drinking and sanitary needs of astronauts, scientists are also working on using moon water as fuel for rockets launched from the natural satellite.
Key Highlights:
- Water will be a major resource for the long term space missions postulated by the US, China, Russia, and India on the moon.
- Water is vital for astronauts’ drinking and hygiene, besides being useful in the form of rocket fuel from the moon.
Study and Findings
- PRL scientists in Ahmedabad have found that larger places on the moon than thought before may be available for water ice.
- The study is founded upon the local ground level observations made by the Chandrayaan-3 Vikram lander, which set down on the lunar surface in August 2023.
Temperature Measurements
- The team measured ambient surface temperatures and sub surface temperatures at Shiv Shakti Point (69.373° south, 32.319° east) on the south pole of the moon using Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE).
- This experiment used 10 high accuracy platinum resistance temperature detector (RTD) sensors on board to monitor surface temperatures for approximately 10 days on Earth during the lunar day (around 8 hours).
- Highest temperatures achieved during the lunar days were 82ºC while nighttime temperatures plummeted to about 181ºC.
Key Insights
- The temperatures recorded on the surface vary on a meter scale from 82ºC on the sun facing slope to 58.85ºC just a meter away on the flat ground.
- The slopes facing away from the sun (more than 14°) remained cold and may serve as pathways for water ice migration and stabilization beneath the surface.
Significance
- This is the first time that temperature on the high latitude of the Moon has been in situ measured.
- Findings support the theory that water ice is not limited to only the poles, there is a possibility of it existing at higher latitudes, which will make extraction easier.
- Near term exploration in these areas can be less technically demanding than at the poles, which will serve for the success of future missions and possibly human settlements.
Next Steps
- The PRL team plans to use this data to model the thermophysical properties of the moon and the stability of water ice at different representative sites on it.
- Such research would serve as a guiding insight to future exploration strategies and development of lunar infrastructure.
By documenting the thermal environment and ice distribution of the moon, this PRL study represents a large step forward. It opens up several opportunities for utilizing lunar water resources outside the poles, which will be a great boost to future exploration, habitation, and resource utilization on the Moon.
Source: TH
