About a decade ago, water has been discovered at the southern part of the moon. It has ever since left scientists wondering how the water cycle happens in the rocky structure of the moon's surface, considering that it is one of the coldest in the atmosphere. New research, however, provides evidence on the water was able to escape the icy grave that causes it to spatter across the lunar surface during a meteorite strike.
NASA scientists have suggested that the other elements present in space may be help free the water molecules that have been trapped on the rocky surface of the moon. They are looking into the role of the meteorites and solar wind and how it helps the water bounce off into something else. This thought could make it easier for astronauts to reach for the water because they wouldn't have to venture into the darker craters of the moon to access it
"People believe that some polar craters are trapping the water," said William Farrell, lead author of the new study. He is a plasma physicist of NASA working at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. "But there are solar wind particles that hit the surface like meteorites and they drive reactions that are typical to occur in warmer conditions. That is something that has been overlooked and needs thorough emphasis."
Solar wind is a stream of charged particles that is radiated by the sun. The solar wind is known to regularly hit the surface of the moon that kicks up the water from the lunar surface. While meteoroids have practically the same effect, it can also hurl up soil particles as far as 30 kilometers from where they were originally located.
"The results of the research is telling us that when meteorites hit the surface of the moon, it basically does some of the work for us. The transportation of material from the coldest parts of the moon to the regions considered as boundary as the solar-powered lunar rover is able to access it," said Dana Hurley, a planetary scientist from the John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland. "It is also telling us what we need to know when we collect the samples from the lunar surface ourselves. This will help us in gauging what still needs to be done."
One of the biggest mysteries about the lunar surface that scientists are hopeful to unravel is the lunar water cycle. It has been nearly 50 years since the launch of the Apollo 11 was done, and the search to understand where the water comes from continues. The samples of moon rocks the lunar exploration were able to collect shows signs of the presence of water. This dismissed the idea that the surface of the moon is completely cold and barren.
