NASA discovers surface water on moon using SOFIA telescope

NIRMAL YESODA

NASA, the United States space agency, using their SOFIA telescope has discovered water on the moon. In a study report published in Journal Nature, researchers revealed that the water in the lunar surface includes the ice stored permanently in the shadowed cold traps in the polar region.

Even though scientists were aware of possible water existence on the moon, they were not able to figure out whether the substance on the lunar surface is H2O or hydroxyl. It should be noted that hydroxyl is a molecule made up of one hydrogen and one oxygen atom.

But now, using the SOFIA telescope, scientists have made it clear that there is molecular water on the lunar surface. Interestingly, this molecular water can be found even in sunlit areas of the moon.

As NASA is gearing up for a manned lunar mission in 2024, this new discovery has a huge significance, as it will help to find the right location to build a permanent human colony. Several NASA experts had previously suggested that building a permanent human colony on the moon is very much necessary to achieve the ultimate goal of Mars colonization.

“If we find the water is abundant enough in certain locations we may be able to use it as a resource for human exploration. It could be used as drinking water, breathable oxygen, and rocket fuel,” said Casey Honnibal, a researcher at the Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology.