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A study conducted by scientists from the Space Applications Centre (SAC)/ISRO sheds light on the presence of subsurface ice on the Moon.
Collaborative Effort
The study was carried out by scientists from SAC/ISRO, in collaboration with researchers from various institutions including IIT Kanpur, University of Southern California, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and IIT (ISM) Dhanbad.
Findings
- Abundance of Subsurface Ice: The study suggests that the amount of subsurface ice in the first couple of meters is significantly larger (five to eight times) than the ice present at the surface, in both the northern and southern polar regions of the Moon.
- Regional Disparity: The extent of water ice in the northern polar region is found to be twice as much as in the southern polar region.
- Origin of Ice: The primary source of subsurface water ice in lunar poles is believed to be outgassing during volcanism in the Imbrian period.
- Distribution Factors: The distribution of water ice is influenced by “Mare volcanism” and preferential impact cratering.
Methodology
The research team utilized seven instruments onboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, including radar, laser, optical, neutron spectrometer, ultra-violet spectrometer, and thermal radiometer, to analyze the origin and distribution of water ice on the Moon.
Implications
- Mission Planning: Accurate knowledge of ice distribution and depth is crucial for selecting future landing and sampling sites for missions aimed at exploring lunar volatiles.
- Supporting Previous Studies: This study reinforces earlier findings indicating the presence of water ice in polar craters, leveraging polarimetric radar data from the Chandrayaan-2 Dual-frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar instrument.
- Future Exploration: Understanding the occurrence of water ice in lunar poles supports ISRO’s future plans for in-situ volatile exploration on the Moon.
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs):
- What was the main finding regarding the abundance of subsurface ice on the Moon?
- A) Subsurface ice is absent on the Moon.
- B) Subsurface ice is more abundant than surface ice.
- C) Subsurface ice is evenly distributed across the Moon.
- D) Subsurface ice is primarily found in the southern polar region.
- Which institution collaborated with SAC/ISRO in the study of lunar subsurface ice?
- A) NASA
- B) ESA
- C) IIT Kanpur
- D) University of Tokyo
- What is believed to be the primary source of subsurface water ice on the Moon?
- A) Asteroid impacts
- B) Outgassing during volcanism
- C) Solar wind deposition
- D) Comet collisions
- What instruments were used by the research team to analyze lunar water ice?
- A) Radar, laser, and optical only
- B) Radar, laser, and thermal radiometer only
- C) Radar, laser, optical, and neutron spectrometer
- D) Radar, thermal radiometer, and ultra-violet spectrometer only