WATER ON THE MOON
- October 28, 2020
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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Subject: Geography
Context: NASA’s SOFIA Discovers water on sunlit surface of moon.
Concept:
- There may be far more water on the Moon than previously thought, according to two studies published by NASA raising the tantalising prospect that astronauts on future space missions could find refreshment and maybe even fuel on the lunar surface.
- Previous research including Chandrayaan-1 has found indications of water by scanning the surface but these were unable to distinguish between water (H2O) and hydroxyl, a molecule made up of one hydrogen atom and one oxygen atom.
- But a new study provides further chemical proof that the Moon holds molecular water, even in sunlit areas.
- Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) Airborne Telescope, scanned the lunar surface at a more precise wavelength than had been used before — six microns instead of three.
- Another study looks at areas of the Moon’s polar regions, where water ice is believed to be trapped in lunar craters that never see sunlight.
Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy
- Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is a Boeing 747SP jetliner modified to carry a 100-inch diameter telescope. It is a joint project of NASA and the German Aerospace Centre.
- It is flown at approx 45,000 feet, where its observations are not impacted by interference from Earth’s atmosphere.
- SOFIA returns to Earth after every flight, allowing scientists to regularly update the instrument with the latest technology.