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The incredible discovery of the Moon follows the long-standing assumption that the surface of the Moon is dry and inhospitable to liquid water. Until the last decade, NASA had stated that astronomers only expected water presence in isolated ice pockets near the moon's poles. But a series of recent discoveries, including NASA's latest discovery, have questioned the way scientists understand lunar hydration. Astronomers now believe that small amounts of surface water are linked to the dusty gray soil or regolith of the Moon.
The amount and location of these small amounts of water vary according to the time of day.
But this discovery is exciting because it can help better plan future moon-based missions to create a permanent home base.
Amanda Hendrix, the lead author of the study, said, "These results help us understand the lunar water cycle and help us understand the accessibility of water that humans can use when future missions on the Moon.
"Lunar water can potentially be used by humans to make fuel or for radiological protection or thermal management; if these materials do not need to be launched from Earth, this makes future missions more affordable. "
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Lunar discovery revealed that water molecules are closely related to the Moon's surface until temperatures peak at noon.
The water molecules "thermally desorb" then "bounce" until they land in a cold enough place for the water to cool down and return to the surface.
Dr. Kurt Retherford, principal investigator of LRO's Lyman Alpha LAMP Project (LAMP), explained that the discovery was particularly important now, as NASA would return to the moon in the next decade.
He said: "This is a new and important result for lunar water, a hot topic as our country's space program focuses once again on the exploration of the moon.
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"We recently converted the LAMP light collection mode to measure signals reflected on the lunar day more accurately, allowing us to more accurately track the water's position and its amount."
And Dr. Michael Poston, research scientist at LAMP, said, "Lunar hydration is difficult to measure in orbit, because of the complex way in which light is reflected on the lunar surface.
"Previous research has revealed that the amount of jump water molecules is too large to be explained by known physical processes.
"I am excited about these results because the amount of water interpreted here is what laboratory measurements indicate as possible."
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According to NASA, scientists have already speculated that ionized hydrogen, transported by solar winds from the Sun, could be the source of water for the moon.
This should cause a decrease in the amount of water on the moon, whenever it goes behind the earth and that it is protected from the sun.
But that was not the case and instead, NASA said that the water on the moon accumulated over time rather than "raining directly from the solar wind".
John Keller, LRO's Deputy Project Scientific Lead for LRO, said, "This result is a milestone in the progression of the Moon's water history and results from years of accumulated data. by the LRO mission. "
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