Will future astronauts drink water from ancient moon volcanoes?

Researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder in the US have found that the moon may contain more water than previously thought.

So astronauts can drink and bathe on the moon in the future using that water that was caused by ancient volcanic eruptions.

According to the study - published in The Planetary Science Journal, the scientific team relied on computer models and simulations to try to recreate conditions on the moon long before the emergence of complex life on Earth, and they discovered that ancient moon volcanoes erupt. Huge amounts of water vapor, which the researchers describe as a potential reward for future lunar explorers who will need water to drink.

Volcanoes have left sheets of ice scattered at the moon's poles (Paul Heine-University of Colorado Boulder)

Volcanic eruptions on the moon

According to the press release issued by the University of Colorado, billions of years ago, a series of volcanic eruptions erupted on the surface of the moon, which resulted in covering hundreds of thousands of square kilometers of the surface of the celestial body with hot lava, and over the ages the lava created dark spots that give the face of the moon its familiar appearance. .

The new study indicates that volcanoes may have left another impact on the surface of the moon, which is sheets of ice that spread at the poles of the moon and in some places, and its thickness can reach tens or even hundreds of meters.

“We imagine it as frost on the moon that has accumulated over time,” says Andrew Wilkowsky, lead author of the study from the Department of Astrophysics and Planetary Science and the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics.

Study co-author Paul Hen says that this is a potential bonus for future lunar explorers who will need water to drink and process rocket fuel, as there may be large ice layers under the surface at a depth of 5 or 10 meters.

Researchers estimated that approximately 9,656 square kilometers of the moon's surface could be able to trap ice (NASA)

Does the moon drown in water someday?

According to the new study, there is evidence to suggest that the moon may be drowning in more water than scientists previously thought.

According to the statement, the researchers estimated that approximately 9,656 square kilometers of the moon's surface could be able to trap ice, which is often located near the north and south poles of the moon, but scientists still do not know clearly where all that water came from. .

On the possible sources of moon water, Hein says, "There are many potential sources at the present time, as large volcanoes can be the source of moon water, and from 2 to 4 billion years ago tens of thousands of volcanoes erupted across the surface of the moon, which led to the emergence of rivers and lakes. Huge lava.

The statement adds that recent research conducted by scientists at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, Texas, has shown that these volcanoes are also likely to have ejected towering clouds consisting mostly of carbon monoxide and water vapor, and then these clouds revolve around the moon, which may be It has resulted in the formation of a thin and short-lived atmosphere.

This prompted Henn and Wilkowski to wonder: Could this same atmosphere have left ice on the moon's surface, somewhat similar to the frost that forms on Earth after a cold night?

The icy volcanic waters that have accumulated on the moon's surface are a boon to lunar explorers (Getty Images)

How is moon ice formed?

According to the report of the British newspaper "The Independent", the special computer modeling proposed by the researchers showed that about 41% of the water vapor released by lunar volcanoes during their activity can freeze as ice.

"This icy volcanic water that has accumulated on the surface of the moon over long periods of time, and made up of layers of ice, is a boon for lunar explorers who need water to drink and bathe, even if they have to dig and remove some lunar dirt to get to this water," said Andrew Wilkowsky. .

And earlier, specifically in October 2020, American scientists confirmed for the first time the presence of water molecules trapped inside mineral grains on the moon’s surface, with the possibility of more of them in ice spots in areas of permanent shadows that the sun’s rays do not reach.

On the other hand, the US space agency (NASA) plans to return astronauts to the moon by 2024, a mission seen from an angle that paves the way for a subsequent trip carrying a crew to Mars.