Finding water on the Moon will be integral for long term future missions there, with NASA already having plans for a lunar base. Well, a new analysis of mineral maps on our planet’s satellite have revealed there might be more there than previously believed.
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00:00Finding water on the moon will be integral for long-term future missions there, with
00:07NASA already having plans for a lunar base, while a new analysis of mineral maps on our
00:12planet satellite have revealed there might be more there than previously believed.
00:16Experts have identified both H2O and OH, also known as hydroxyl, another hydrogen and oxygen-based
00:22molecule, on multiple locations on the lunar landscape.
00:25They say this is great news as it will both aid them in better understanding the moon
00:28and also help astronauts find water sources they can rely on for long-term lunar missions.
00:34Researchers have long believed that H2O is hiding in the moon's craters, areas that are
00:37not touched by the sun and therefore cannot be evaporated into space.
00:41However, more recent research reveals it is in far greater abundance and in more locations.
00:46Hydroxyl in particular has now been identified at all latitudes.
00:49And while we can't drink it, finding hydroxyl means that water-producing elements exist
00:53there in far greater quantities than expected, with experts saying that someday scientists
00:57might even find a way to convert OH into H2O, meaning astronauts would have a much more
01:02substantial water supply for further moon missions.