Scientific study has revealed evidence for increased possibility of water ice occurrence in the polar craters of the Moon, according to the Indian space agency ISRO. The study was carried out by the scientists of Space Applications Centre (SAC)/ ISRO, in collaboration with researchers at IIT Kanpur, University of Southern California, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and IIT (ISM) Dhanbad.
The study suggests that the subsurface ice within the first couple of metres is approximately five to eight times greater than the surface ice in both poles, as stated in an ISRO statement. ISRO emphasises that future missions and long-term human presence on the Moon would greatly benefit from drilling to sample or excavate this ice.
Twice water ice on northern surface than southern surface
"Moreover, the study also suggests that the extent of water ice in the northern polar region is twice that in the southern polar region," the statement said. The origin of this ice is believed to be linked to outgassing during volcanism in the Imbrian period, as confirmed by the study. Notably, Imbian period occured from 3,850 million years ago to about 3,800 million years ago.
Furthermore, the distribution of water ice is influenced by "Mare volcanism" and preferential impact cratering, according to the research team. Utilising seven instruments onboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, including radar, laser, optical, neutron spectrometer, ultra-violet spectrometer, and thermal radiometer, the team gained insights into the origin and distribution of water ice on the Moon.
The accurate understanding of water ice distribution and depth in the lunar poles is crucial for future missions in selecting landing and sampling sites, states the ISRO statement. This finding aligns with a previous SAC, ISRO study indicating the potential presence of water ice in polar craters, utilising polarimetric radar data from the Chandrayaan-2 Dual-frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar instrument.
The comprehensive understanding of water ice occurrence in lunar poles presented in this study is vital for supporting ISRO's future in-situ volatile exploration plans on the Moon, according to ISRO.
(With PTI Inputs)
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