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Planetary Research:  The Moon’s Ancient Volcanoes Could Have Created large and thick Ice Sheets

Everyone loves looking at the Moon, especially with a microscope. Seeing those dark and light spots spread across its surface brings a sense of dread and wonder to anyone looking up at the night sky. Although our Moon may be dead on earth today, it was very active billions of years ago when it began to form like hot mud covering hundreds of thousands of square miles of the Moon‘s surface in the hot mud. These lava flows are responsible for the dark spots we see when we look at the Moon, called mare, which is translated as “seas”, and are remnants of a very active past.

Volcanoes erupting billions of years ago

In a recent study published in the Planetary Science Journal, a study from the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) suggests that volcanoes erupting billions of years ago may have left a lasting impression on the lunar eclipse: ice sheets spanning on the Moon’s poles and, in some places, tens or even hundreds meters (or feet) in size.

We see it as the frozen moon of the Moon,”said Andrew Wilcoski, lead author of the new study and a graduate student in the Department of Astronomy and Plan Physics and the Atmospheric and Space Physics Laboratory (LASP) at CU Boulder. Researchers have used computer models to try to recreate conditions on the Moon long before complex life arose on Earth. They found that ancient volcanoes emitted large amounts of vapor, which in turn formed to form ice — forming ice that may still be hidden in the craters of the moon. If there were people living at that time, they would probably have seen a small amount of snow near the border between day and night in the area of ​​the Moon.

Moonlight

New research adds to the growing body of evidence suggesting that the Moon may also be flooded with more water than ever before. In a 2020 study, Hayne and colleagues estimated that some 40,000 square miles (~ 25,000 sq km) of moonlight would be able to trap and hang snow — especially near the North and south poles. However, the source of all the water is still unclear.It could be a benefit for future testers of the month who will need drinking water and digest it into rocket fuel, says other research author Paul Hayne, who is also an assistant professor at APS and LASP.

What Hayne says about rocket fuel is that future astronauts on the Moon can do what is known as liquid electrolysis, since water contains the H20 molecule, or two hydrogen atoms of every oxygen atom. Electrolysis is the process of using electricity to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen. Although oxygen may be used for respiration, hydrogen can be used for fuel on a return trip to Earth or even for extraterrestrial system.

As mentioned, it is thought that most of the trapped ice is located near the north and south poles of the Moon. This is because the axial inclination of the moon is only 1.5 degrees, compared to the axial inclination of the Earth which is 23.5 degrees. As a result, there are craters on both the North and South Moon poles that may or may not receive sunlight at all. This could mean that ice may be present among craters in the so-called permanent shade regions (PSRs), designated as areas near the north or south of the Moon that never receive direct sunlight and are therefore extremely cold (-248 ° C. To 203 ° C; -415 ° F to 334 ° F).

Several envoys from the three astronauts

One exciting crater is the Shackleton Crater located in the southern hemisphere. Shackleton 21 km (13 mi) wide and 4.2 km (2.6 mi) deep. What makes Shackleton so interesting is that although its crust is almost filled with endless sunlight, the inside of the crater has a permanent shade, which opens the door for ice to form at the bottom of the crater itself. Several envoys from the three astronauts have explored Shackleton using cameras, radar, sensors, and even a space explorer, all in hopes of learning the real secrets of darkness.

All of this research on water on the Moon is designed to eventually get people back to the moon, which we have not been on Earth since Apollo 17 in 1972. the first woman and the colored man in the face of our nearest heavenly neighbor. Using more ice on the Moon will mean that astronauts will not have to rely so heavily on Earth to recover it, which can be very expensive.How much snow is on the Moon? How much snow is inside the Shackleton Crater? Will we be able to use this ice for future astronauts in lunar eclipses? Only time will tell, and that is why we are science!

For more read: The Planetary Science Journal, Nature Astronomy, US Department of Energy, Space.com, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, Science, Sky & Telescope, NASA

READ ALSO : NASA’s Webb Program Director Named to TIME100 List

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