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Kielder on the Moon
Scientists have pinpointed where water is most likely to be found on the Moon – which could lead to a manned station being set up for space explorers.
Astrophysicists led by an expert from Durham University say if frozen water exists it is most likely to be found near its poles and craters permanently shaded from the sun.
The findings are based on data from Lunar Prospector, a probe sent to the moon in 1998 by Nasa, with research finding that hydrogen is concentrated in craters where temperatures are colder than -170.
The chemical element, which together with the oxygen abundant within moon rock, is key to making water.
If ice is present in the craters then the researchers say it could potentially provide a water source for the eventual establishment of a manned base on the Moon.
Dr Vincent Eke, in the Institute for Computational Cosmology, at Durham University, said: "This research applies a newly developed technique to data from the Lunar Prospector mission to show that hydrogen is actually concentrated into the permanently shaded polar craters.
"Water ice should be stable for billions of years on the moon provided that it receives no sunlight.
"If the hydrogen is present as water ice then our results imply that the top metre of the moon holds about enough water to fill up Kielder Water."
The research was led by Dr Eke together with colleagues from the University of Glasgow and the Planetary Systems Branch, Space Science and Astrobiology Division, of Nasa Ames Research Center in California.
The research was funded by a Royal Society University Research Fellowship, a Leverhulme Research Fellowship and the Nasa Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Participating Scientist Programme.
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Thursday 09 February 2012
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