The moon has more water than we thought

A new study shows that the amount of water below the surface "Sister Hang" is at least 100 times greater than the previous calculation of the scientific world.

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'If we could get all the water below the surface of the moon, that water would form an ocean of 1 meter depth covering the entire surface of the planet,' National Geographic quoted Francis McCubbin, a geologist of the Carnegie Science Institute in the United States.

The McCubbin group's discovery has great implications for humanity's ambition to conquer the universe in the future. If the amount of water on the moon is very large, humans can base it at the two poles of the planet. Astronauts can drink water on the moon. We can also electrolyze water to create oxygen and hydrogen - two types of fuel for boosters. In addition, astronauts can use oxygen to breathe.

On October 9, 2009, NASA spacecraft launched a 2,200 kg heavy missile into the hole Cabeus (100 km in diameter) in the south pole of the moon. Then another spacecraft brought the probe down to the position of the explosion to see if ice crystals were fired. The data that the probe sent back noticed in the dust rising from the explosion there were many ice crystals and steam.

Most scientists believe the moon formed when an object is about the same size as Mars struck the Earth 4.5 billion years ago. The amount of matter spilled from the collision condensed and formed the moon. Magma (molten rock) occurs during the formation of the moon's door and water molecules are trapped when the magma cools and turns into crystals.

National Geographic said McCubbin and colleagues analyzed the rock samples Apollo took from the moon 40 years ago and a meteorite from the moon that fell into Africa to find out the amount of water in them. These stones are very popular rocks below the surface of "Ms. Hang". They contain apatite - the chemical formula is Ca ₅ F (PO ₄ ) ₃ . This is a mineral formed several billion years ago, when the inner part of the moon is still full of magma. By analyzing ionic particles in apatite, scientists can determine the proportion of hydroxyl compounds - containing both O and H. atoms, from the proportion of hydroxyl compounds they will calculate the ratio of water.

The analytical results show that the amount of water on the moon accounts for 5 to 64 parts per billion of the planet's mass, which is at least 100 times larger than all previous predictions. However, most of the water lies in the moon's rock floor.

"Because the ratio of water in minerals is extremely low, over the past few decades, the scientific community has been unable to detect it." , Bradley Joliff, an expert at Washington University in the US and also involved in research, said.

McCubbin also confirmed that before his research was conducted, no scientist had ever found water in the moon's minerals.