'Tracking' solid carbon dioxide on the Moon

A new study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters (PDF) by the Institute of Planetary Sciences and UCLA has confirmed that the Moon's cold trap of carbon dioxide (CO2) is likely to contain solid CO2.

This discovery could have a big impact in shaping future Moon missions. At the same time, could affect the feasibility of robots or humans on the Moon.

Explorers or robots can use solid CO2 in cold traps to produce fuel or materials.

In the future, explorers or robots could use solid CO2 in cold traps to produce fuel or materials. As a result, it helps to stay on the Moon longer. Previously, researchers confirmed the presence of ice in permanently obscured craters around the Moon's south pole.

However, the question that remains unanswered is: How cold are these craters? If it is never warmer than -163 degrees Celsius, the existence of ice is quite possible. However, if the peak temperature is below -223 degrees Celsius, then solid CO2 may be present and not be able to evaporate.

Recently, researchers used 11 years of surface temperature data collected by the Diviner radiometer on NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). At the same time, combine with calculations about lunar months (lunation) and lunar seasons to find the correct answer.

The results show that these cold traps are concentrated around the South pole of the Moon. The total area of ​​these CO2 cold traps is 204 square kilometers. The largest area in the Amundsen crater contains 82 square kilometers of cold traps.

According to the researchers, the existence of a CO2 cold trap does not guarantee the existence of solid CO2. However, this verification shows that there is a high probability that future missions may find solid CO2 there. If detected, solid CO2 would provide future missions with a resource for the production of steel, rocket fuel and biomaterials.

Norbert Schorghofer, a planetary scientist at the Institute of Planetary Sciences, said: 'I think when I started doing the research, the question was 'Can we say with confidence, there's solid CO2 on the Moon. or not?'. To my surprise it's possible, but we haven't been able to prove it's existence.