Bengaluru: According to ISRO, a study has revealed evidence of increased possibility of water accumulation in the polar craters of the Moon.
The study was conducted by scientists from the Space Applications Center (SAC)/ISRO in collaboration with researchers from IIT Kanpur, University of Southern California, Jet Propulsion Laboratory and IIT (ISM) Dhanbad.
An ISRO statement said recent studies show that the amount of subsurface ice in the first couple of meters is about five to eight times more than the amount of ice present on the surface of both the poles.
As such, drilling on the moon to sample or excavate the ice will be the primordia for future missions and long-term human presence, the space agency said.
"In addition, the study also shows that the amount of water ice in the northern polar region is twice that of the southern polar region," the statement said.,
As for the origin of this ice, the study confirms the hypothesis that the primary source of subsurface water ice at the lunar poles is over volcanic volcanism in the Imbrian period, it was said.
The results also conclude that the distribution of water ice is likely controlled by "mare volcanism" and preferential impact cratering.
The research team used seven instruments on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, including radar, laser, optical neutron spectrometer, ultra-violet spectrometer, and thermal radiometer, to understand the origin and distribution of water ice on the Moon.
The statement said, "As presented in the investigation, accurate knowledge of the distribution and depth of water ice occurrence at the lunar poles will enable future landing and sampling sites for missions aimed at exploring and characterizing lunar volatiles." It is important to prevent uncertainties in selection." ,
This result also supports a previous study by SAC, ISRO, which pointed to the possibility of the presence of water ice in some polar craters, using polarimetric radar data from the Chandrayaan-2 dual-frequency synthetic aperture radar instrument. Was.Additionally, the comprehensive understanding of water ice occurrence in the lunar poles presented in this study is important to support ISRO's future in-situ volatile exploration plans on the Moon, it said.
The study was conducted by scientists from the Space Applications Center (SAC)/ISRO in collaboration with researchers from IIT Kanpur, University of Southern California, Jet Propulsion Laboratory and IIT (ISM) Dhanbad.
An ISRO statement said recent studies show that the amount of subsurface ice in the first couple of meters is about five to eight times more than the amount of ice present on the surface of both the poles.
As such, drilling on the moon to sample or excavate the ice will be the primordia for future missions and long-term human presence, the space agency said.
"In addition, the study also shows that the amount of water ice in the northern polar region is twice that of the southern polar region," the statement said.,
As for the origin of this ice, the study confirms the hypothesis that the primary source of subsurface water ice at the lunar poles is over volcanic volcanism in the Imbrian period, it was said.
The results also conclude that the distribution of water ice is likely controlled by "mare volcanism" and preferential impact cratering.
The research team used seven instruments on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, including radar, laser, optical neutron spectrometer, ultra-violet spectrometer, and thermal radiometer, to understand the origin and distribution of water ice on the Moon.
The statement said, "As presented in the investigation, accurate knowledge of the distribution and depth of water ice occurrence at the lunar poles will enable future landing and sampling sites for missions aimed at exploring and characterizing lunar volatiles." It is important to prevent uncertainties in selection." ,
This result also supports a previous study by SAC, ISRO, which pointed to the possibility of the presence of water ice in some polar craters, using polarimetric radar data from the Chandrayaan-2 dual-frequency synthetic aperture radar instrument. Was.Additionally, the comprehensive understanding of water ice occurrence in the lunar poles presented in this study is important to support ISRO's future in-situ volatile exploration plans on the Moon, it said.
