Astronauts will be able to extract water from ancient lunar volcanoes

The researchers explained that a series of volcanic eruptions occurred on the Moon billions of years ago.

covering hundreds of thousands of square kilometershot lava surface. In a new study, scientists suggest that volcanoes may have preserved on the surface of the moon the layers of ice that dot the lunar poles and in some places can be tens or even hundreds of meters thick.

“This can be compared to frost on the moon, whichformed over time,” said Andrew Wilkoski, lead author of the new study and a PhD student in the Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences (APS) and Laboratory of Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of California, Boulder.

The researchers used simulations torecreate the conditions on the Moon long before the emergence of complex life on Earth. They found that ancient lunar volcanoes spewed out huge amounts of water vapor, which then settled on the surface, forming reserves of ice that may still be hiding in lunar craters. This is a potentially useful material for future lunar explorers who will need water to drink and process into rocket fuel.

However, in a study conducted in 2020,Scientists have calculated that almost 9,000 square kilometers of the lunar surface is capable of holding ice - mainly in the region of the north and south poles of the moon.

The latest research by scientists from the Lunar andThe Planetary Institute in Houston show that these volcanoes probably also produced high clouds, consisting mainly of carbon monoxide and water vapor. These clouds then swirled around the Moon, creating a thin and short-lived atmosphere.

The team used estimates according to whichThe moon experienced one eruption on average every 22 thousand years. The researchers then traced how volcanic gases could swirl around the moon, escaping into space over time. The team estimated that about 41% of the water from volcanoes could have condensed on the Moon as ice.

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