Scientists discover more potential locations for ice on Moon

The Moon’s surface is a place of extreme conditions, with scorching heat during the day and frigid cold at night. Understanding these temperature variations is critical for future lunar exploration, resource discovery, and even establishing long-term habitats.

The Indian Space Research Organisation’s Chandrayaan-3 mission has provided groundbreaking insights into how temperature changes affect the stability of water ice in the lunar south polar region. Data collected by its Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) reveals that ice may exist closer to the surface than previously thought.

Water ice is a key resource for future lunar missions, but its presence depends heavily on the Moon’s temperature dynamics.

Unlike Earth, the Moon lacks an atmosphere to regulate heat, causing extreme fluctuations between day and night. The lunar soil, or regolith, has very low thermal conductivity, meaning heat from the Sun doesn’t penetrate deeply. This creates steep temperature gradients, where the surface heats up while the subsurface remains cold.

Apollo missions in the 1970s provided initial temperature readings, but these measurements were limited to the Moon’s equatorial regions. Until now, no direct surface temperature data had been gathered from the lunar poles.

Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander changed that by measuring temperatures up to 10 centimeters below the surface in the Moon’s southern polar region. These findings are critical in assessing the likelihood of ice formation, particularly in areas where future missions, including NASA’s Artemis program, plan to land.

Previous attempts to measure temperatures beneath planetary surfaces faced challenges. Instruments such as the MUPUS probe on ESA’s Rosetta Philae lander and NASA’s InSight HP3 probe on Mars struggled to reach their intended depths due to unexpected surface conditions.

ChaSTE, however, successfully penetrated the lunar regolith using a rotating mechanism rather than a hammering device. This breakthrough demonstrated that penetration-based methods could be more reliable for planetary temperature probes.

The instrument recorded significant variations in surface temperature at Vikram’s landing site, located at approximately 69° south latitude. On a sunlit 6° slope, the temperature peaked at 355 Kelvin (82°C) during the day, plummeting to just 105 Kelvin (-168°C) at night.

A nearby flat region, only a meter away, reached a slightly lower peak of 332 Kelvin (59°C). These readings highlight the Moon’s sharp thermal gradients and how even small changes in terrain impact surface temperatures.

Using ChaSTE’s data, scientists developed a model showing how slope angles influence temperature in high-latitude lunar regions. The model suggests that slopes facing away from the Sun, at angles greater than 14°, could remain cold enough for ice to persist just beneath the surface.

This finding reshapes previous assumptions, indicating that ice may be present in more locations and at shallower depths than once thought.

The implications for future lunar exploration are significant. Ice deposits could serve as a vital resource for astronauts, providing water for drinking, oxygen extraction, and fuel production. The new insights suggest that these resources may be more accessible than anticipated, reducing the need for complex excavation or deep drilling.

As space agencies and private companies prepare for sustained human presence on the Moon, understanding where ice can be found is crucial for mission planning and long-term sustainability.

The Chandrayaan-3 mission marks a major advancement in planetary thermophysics. By delivering the first in-situ temperature readings from the lunar south pole, it has expanded scientific understanding of how the Moon’s surface interacts with solar radiation. This knowledge not only improves predictions of ice stability but also enhances safety for future lunar missions.

With NASA’s Artemis program targeting lunar south pole landings and China planning robotic missions to explore polar regions, the discoveries from ChaSTE are set to play a crucial role in shaping the next era of lunar exploration.

The Moon is no longer just a barren rock—it holds the potential to support human life and fuel future space endeavors. Chandrayaan-3’s findings bring that vision closer to reality.

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