Our Icy Moon

Icy Moon There might be more ice on the Moon than previously thought. A previous study had already proved the existence of water ice on the Moon. However, due to large variations in surface temperature, this was only the case close to the surface in the lunar polar regions. Now, direct measurements taken by India’s Chandrayaan-3 Vikram lunar lander have likely confirmed the existence of ice a few centimeters beneath the satellite’s surface in regions away from the poles, Cosmos Magazine explained. In a new study, researchers analyzed temperatures measured to a depth of about four inches beneath the surface using the ChaSte probe on board the Chandrayaan-3 Vikram. The Chandrayaan-3 mission successfully landed on the lunar surface at 69 degrees south, the latitude that crosses Antarctica on Earth – a perfect location to study if water ice can exist away from the poles, researchers said. At the landing point – consisting of “a Sun-facing slope angled at six degrees” – the researchers found the highest temperatures to be about 180 degrees Fahrenheit and the lowest about -274 degrees Fahrenheit at night. Barely a meter away from the touching-down point – at a flat surface – the highest temperature was 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Data collected by the lander was used to develop a model of how slope angle can affect temperatures at polar latitudes on the Moon. The team found that if a slope is facing away from the Sun toward the Moon’s nearest pole and at an angle greater than 14 degrees, it might be cold enough for ice to accumulate closer to the surface. High-latitude regions are easier to explore compared to those closer to the poles, and they might be the place to look to find water ice in future long-term, crewed missions that will rely on local sources of water. “Water in liquid form cannot exist on the lunar surface because of (an) ultra-high vacuum,” said lead study author Durga Prasad Karanam in an interview with India’s Economic Times. “Therefore, ice cannot transform into liquid, but would rather sublimate to vapor form.” Karanam suggested that with the current information available, it is unlikely that the Moon had habitable conditions in the past. But Karanam added that more data is needed to develop techniques to extract and use ice for habitability on the Moon. Share this story