Recent insights from the Chandrayaan-3 mission suggest there could be more ice deposits beneath the Moon’s surface than people previously thought. According to Durga Prasad Karanam from the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad, temperature differences on the Moon can affect the formation of ice. Understanding these ice particles can shed light on their history and sources. This research was published in the journal Communications Earth and Environment.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission was launched by ISRO from Bengaluru and successfully landed near the lunar south pole on August 23, 2023. This location is now known as ‘Shiv Shakti Point.’ The landing site is about 69 degrees south, where the temperatures vary dramatically—from a scorching 82 degrees Celsius during the day to a chilling -170 degrees Celsius at night.
Interestingly, just a meter away from this site, a flatter surface registered maximum temperatures around 60 degrees Celsius. The slope where the lander sits could be ideal for NASA’s Artemis mission, which aims to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon.
The researchers used a device called ChaSTE (Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment) attached to the Vikram lander to examine the temperatures from the surface down to 10 centimeters below. This probe includes a temperature sensor system designed to analyze the thermal characteristics of the lunar soil. Karanam noted that the incline of the landing site resulted in higher solar radiation, influencing the measured temperatures.
By creating a model of how slope angles affect temperature at high latitudes, the team found that slopes steeper than 14 degrees, especially those facing away from the Sun, might keep conditions cool enough to support ice accumulation. This finding hints that ice could be more accessible in various locations on the Moon than previously assumed.
When asked about the potential for ice to turn into liquid water on the Moon, Karanam explained that due to the Moon’s extremely low pressure, water cannot exist in liquid form. Instead, ice would turn directly into vapor through a process called sublimation.
Despite this, ice remains an essential resource for future lunar exploration and potential colonization. Karanam emphasizes the need for more measurements like those obtained from ChaSTE to fully understand the Moon’s resources. He stated, “We must develop techniques to extract and use ice for long-term sustainability on the Moon.”
The research from ChaSTE not only highlights varying temperatures at the lunar surface but also points out that high-latitude areas could be key sites for discovering water ice and planning habitation. These areas, being scientifically intriguing, may present fewer technical challenges for human exploration compared to regions closer to the Moon’s poles.
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