NASA’s SOFIA telescope has made a significant advancement in lunar exploration. This comes after the recent discovery of a substantial amount of water on the south pole of the Moon. A new map that shows the presence of water trapped on the shadowy faces of mountains and in the gloomy areas of craters was created in February 2022. This was done by astronomers using the telescope to scan nearly 230,000 square kilometers of the lunar surface. Individual mountains, crater rims, and changes between the day and night sides of mountains can be identified through the water data on the map.
Only hydrogen and oxygen had been found in previous studies, providing only a faint indication of the presence of water. In 2020, SOFIA’s observations did, however, establish the existence of genuine water. Additionally, the new observations show where and how much of it is present on the Moon. The team is concentrating on several potential landing locations for future lunar missions. However, the SOFIA data map is the first of many lunar water maps that will result from these investigations.
A region that will be covered in one of the next SOFIA maps will contain the mountain range known as Mons Mouton. This will be the focus of the 2024 VIPER mission to the Moon. The team is examining how water is concentrated in various lunar environmental conditions using this map. Future science missions will have regional context. This is thanks to the map’s information, which will be useful for the Artemis program’s possible prospecting locations.
Aiming to land astronauts close to the Moon’s south pole, Artemis III is scheduled to launch in 2025. The finding of water on the Moon may be an essential resource for a long-term human stay there. Artemis III might quickly become the beginning of a long-term human presence on the Moon. However, this will depend if it turns out that the water is a resource that can be easily harvested.
The observations made by SOFIA are ground-breaking and will have a major influence on future lunar and space research. The finding of water on the Moon throws up several opportunities for the next missions and scientific investigations. The planned lunar water maps will help us better understand the distribution of water on the Moon. In addition, it will provide important knowledge for upcoming missions and scientific research. Humans landing on the Moon and maintaining a long-term presence there are the two objectives of NASA’s Artemis program, which is making good progress toward both objectives.