Scientists say the moon has 'lots of ice' buried beneath the surface

The moon may harbor a lot more water and ice than previously suspected, according to a recent study.

Researchers from UCLA, who recently published a paper in Nature Geoscience, say water-ice is locked deep within the lunar surface, and may even be large enough to support future human settlements. 

The theory may account for a long-observed discrepancy between the moon and planets with similar surface conditions, like Mercury.

While Mercury contains large deposits of glacier-like ice on its polar regions, the moon, which bears strikingly similar surface conditions appears to have none — or at least none superficial enough to be observed.

The moon may contain a lot more ice than previously though according to a recent study from researchers at UCLA

‘The simple answer is that the moon has lots of ice — it’s just buried below the surface,’ said David Paige, a UCLA professor of planetary science and a co-author of the study. 

Both the moon and Mercury have spin on axes that are small compared to the Earth, meaning there are regions of both bodies that never see the sun. As a result, those surfaces are some of the coldest in our solar system. 

It’s for this reason that scientists say ice is likely to survive on the planet for billions of years.

However, research has turned up one glaring discrepancy. 

Radar examinations of Mercury carried out two decades ago show the planet contains thick deposits of ice some of which were 50 meters wide while similar observations of the lunar surface show only shallow reservoirs.  

Scientists say the key to resolving that difference could be in studying the depth of the moon’s impact craters.

Researchers say that on the moon’s south pole, where ice has been previously detected, the impact craters were measured to be 10 percent more shallow than those observed elsewhere.

That difference in depth isn’t just coincidence, they posit, it’s due to a collection of hardened ice that rests beneath the surface.

Researchers say the lunar ice, unlike the more pristine iteration found on Mercury, is likely layered with the moon’s regolith — a lunar ‘soil’ made of hardened rock and other materials — and is much more dense as a result.

 The study may solve a discrepancy long witnessed between the Moon and Mercury — bodies with similar surface attributes

If true, researchers findings could be significant for several reasons, not the least of which regard the prospects of establishing colonies and industrial operations on the moon’s surface.  

NASA has accelerated its calls to return to the moon via a much-anticipated mission dubbed Artemis. 

That mission will entail 37 separate launches over a decade and culminate in the construction of a moon base by 2028, according to documents leaked in May.

From that base, scientists say humans would have unprecedented access to a number of precious resources embedded into the lunar landscape. 

Those include metals like platinum, as well as others like silicon — used in making computer chips — and titanium and aluminum which are used for constructing buildings, making joint replacements, and more.

WHAT IS NASA’S ARTEMIS MISSION TO THE MOON?

Artemis was the twin sister of Apollo and goddess of the Moon in Greek mythology. 

NASA has chosen her to personify its path back to the Moon, which will see astronauts return to the lunar surface by 2024 –  including the first woman and the next man.

Artemis 1, formerly Exploration Mission-1, is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human exploration to the Moon and Mars. 

Artemis 1 will be the first integrated flight test of NASA’s deep space exploration system: the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the ground systems at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.  

Artemis 1 will be an uncrewed flight that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration, and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond. 

During this flight, the spacecraft will launch on the most powerful rocket in the world and fly farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever flown.

It will travel 280,000 miles (450,600 km) from Earth, thousands of miles beyond the Moon over the course of about a three-week mission. 

Artemis 1, formerly Exploration Mission-1, is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human exploration to the Moon and Mars. This graphic explains the various stages of the mission

Orion will stay in space longer than any ship for astronauts has done without docking to a space station and return home faster and hotter than ever before. 

With this first exploration mission, NASA is leading the next steps of human exploration into deep space where astronauts will build and begin testing the systems near the Moon needed for lunar surface missions and exploration to other destinations farther from Earth, including Mars. 

The will take crew on a different trajectory and test Orion’s critical systems with humans aboard.

The SLS rocket will from an initial configuration capable of sending more than 26 metric tons to the Moon, to a final configuration that can send at least 45 metric tons. 

Together, Orion, SLS and the ground systems at Kennedy will be able to meet the most challenging crew and cargo mission needs in deep space.

Eventually NASA seeks to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon by 2028 as a result of the Artemis mission.

The space agency hopes this colony will uncover new scientific discoveries, demonstrate new technological advancements and lay the foundation for private companies to build a lunar economy.