There IS water on the Moon: NASA reveals tiny pockets of ice on the lunar surface could provide enough oxygen, hydration and rocket fuel to support a human colony

  • Scientists have found the unique molecular signature for water on the moon 
  • Proves that water, likely as ice and trapped in glass, exists on the lunar surface 
  • Study estimates up to 40,000 square km of water hidden in cold traps in craters 

NASA has today confirmed, for the first time, that there is water on the sunlit surface of the moon.

The revelation means it is possible water is easily accessible and not just in the deep, permanently shadowed craters of the south pole, as was previously thought. 

A separate piece of research found these so-called 'cold traps', which are always in shadow, may contain up to 15,000 square miles (40,000 square km) of water.  

The discovery means future missions to the moon could be prolonged by making use of these water molecules which are scattered across the moon.  

Astronauts could use the natural resource, which may have arrived via comets or solar winds, and turn it into oxygen or drinking water to sustain a future colony.

Scientists also say the water could be used to make rocket fuel, lightening missions and slashing mission costs to make interplanetary space travel easier and cheaper.    

Previously, researchers speculated water was only present in cold traps and were unable to prove it was water and not a similar molecule called hydroxyl, which is found in drain cleaner.  

NASA has today announced that there is up to 15,000 square miles of frozen water on the moon

NASA has today announced that there is up to 15,000 square miles of frozen water on the moon

The NASA-backed research used a converted Boeing 747 that cruises around Earth above the clouds at an altitude of around 41,000ft called Sofia

The NASA-backed research used a converted Boeing 747 that cruises around Earth above the clouds at an altitude of around 41,000ft called Sofia

The NASA research used a converted Boeing 747 that cruises around Earth above the clouds at an altitude of more than 41,000ft called Sofia. 

It was tasked with clarifying findings published in 2009 which discovered molecular hydrogen and oxygen on the surface of the moon. 

However, due to the nature of the decade-old analysis, astronomers were unable to say whether or not it was water (H2O) or hydroxyl (OH) compounds, the chemical found in drain cleaner, due to the similarity in their chemical signature. 

Dr Nick Tothill, a physicist at Western Sydney University, who was not involved in the research, said: 'The problem was that the water ice signature that was found before was really just telling us that there were oxygen and hydrogen atoms bound together. 

'On the Earth, this is mainly water, but on the Moon, you can't be so sure.'

The issue was a limitation of the equipment that used a wavelength of three micrometres, which is unable to tell apart hydroxyl minerals from water. 

Sofia, short for Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, is equipped with a unique six micrometre sensor that detects 'a fundamental vibration of molecular water' that is completely unique to water. 

The Sofia study found the water molecules in Clavius Crater, one of the largest craters visible from Earth, located in the Moon's southern hemisphere.  

By detecting this, it is conclusive and indubitable proof of water on the sunlit surface of the moon, NASA says. 

'We had indications that H2O – the familiar water we know – might be present on the sunlit side of the Moon,' said Paul Hertz, director of the Astrophysics Division in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. 

'Now we know it is there. This discovery challenges our understanding of the lunar surface and raises intriguing questions about resources relevant for deep space exploration.' 

NASA has now found molecular water on the surface of the moon in the Clavius Crater, one of the largest craters visible from Earth, located in the Moon's southern hemisphere using Sofia, a telescope inside an adapted Boeing 747

NASA has now found molecular water on the surface of the moon in the Clavius Crater, one of the largest craters visible from Earth, located in the Moon's southern hemisphere using Sofia, a telescope inside an adapted Boeing 747 

In the new study, a team of researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences analysed Chang'e-5's samples and found signs of water bound up in their mineral structure

In the paper, the researchers, led by Dr Casey Honniball from the University of Hawaiʻi, say that water around the south pole of the moon is relatively abundant, at around 100 to 400 parts per million

First ever space 'petrol station' will be built in the UK and orbit the Moon 

The first ever space 'petrol station' will be built in the UK as part of a project to support upcoming NASA missions to the Moon.

Aerospace manufacturer Thales Alenia Space will construct the chemical refuelling station, which will be launched into space in 2027, at its three UK sites – in Bristol, Belfast and Oxfordshire. 

The station will refuel the Lunar Gateway – a space station that will orbit the Moon and serve as a communication hub and science laboratory – with xenon and other chemical propellants. 

The petrol station will be launched full of propellant to refuel the Lunar Gateway's orbit control systems.

When the petrol station runs out of fuel, space tankers, launched from Earth, will replenish the station's tanks.  

Each refilling of the tanks will allow enough fuel to keep the station orbiting the moon for several years, according to the UK Space Agency. 

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Dr Themiya Nanayakkara, an astronomer at Swinburne University of Technology, comments on the research.

'Honniball and collaborators have now targeted a much higher wavelength feature at 6µm using data from the SOFIA observatory,' he says.

He goes on to explain that Sofia is a modified Boeing 747 with a massive hole that fits in a 2.5-meter mirror. 

'They find spectral signatures that can only be explained by molecular water on the Moon,' he says. 

In the paper, published in the journal Nature Astronomy, the researchers say that water around the south pole of the moon is relatively abundant, at around 100 to 400 parts per million, equivalent to a 12-ounce (360ml) bottle of water – trapped in a cubic meter of soil. 

This is about 100 times drier than the Sahara desert, NASA says.  

'We haven't found a fountain or lake on the moon, the water density is very low, it is confined to the poles, and is likely trapped in glasses or rocks on the surface,' warns Dr Ben Montet from the University of New South Wales.  

The second scientific paper released today looks at where water is most likely to be found on the moon's surface. 

It adds to previous research which found that cold traps are well suited for preserving water ice. 

Also known as topographic depressions, they benefit from a quirk of the moon's physics, which is also a feature of Mercury and the asteroid Ceres. 

All three are tilted on their axis and as a result the shadow created from their craters leaves some areas permanently in the shade. 

In these areas, temperatures can plummet as low as -163.15°C/-261.67°F due to the lack of sunlight, hence the frigid moniker assigned by astronomers.     

NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the moon in 2026 as part of the Artemis mission

Artemis was the twin sister of Apollo and goddess of the moon in Greek mythology. 

NASA has chosen her to personify its path back to the moon, which will see astronauts return to the lunar surface by 2026 -  including the first woman and the next man.

Artemis 1, formerly Exploration Mission-1, was the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human exploration to the moon and Mars. 

The uncrewed flight, which successfully launched in November last year, travelled more than 1.4 million miles on a path around the moon and back to Earth. It splashed down in the Pacific Ocean in December 2022, 25-and-a-half days after launch.

Artemis 1, formerly Exploration Mission-1, was the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human exploration to the moon and Mars. This graphic explains the various stages of the mission

Artemis 1, formerly Exploration Mission-1, was the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human exploration to the moon and Mars. This graphic explains the various stages of the mission

Orion stayed in space longer than any ship for astronauts has done without docking to a space station, while it also returned home faster and hotter than ever before. 

It will now be followed by Artemis II, a manned mission which is scheduled for launch next year.

The crew will fly around the moon and back to prepare for Artemis III, which NASA is targeting as the mission to return humans to the lunar surface. 

Eventually NASA seeks to establish a sustainable human presence on the moon by 2028 as a result of the Artemis programme.

The space agency hopes this colony will uncover new scientific discoveries, demonstrate new technological advancements and lay the foundation for private companies to build a lunar economy. 

Who is Victor Glover? The man set to become NASA's first black astronaut to orbit the moon

Victor Glover (pictured) was selected as an astronaut in 2013 and became the first African American ISS expedition crewmember to live on the ISS seven years later

NASA is set to send the first-ever black astronaut to the moon.

Victor Glover, 46, was selected to take part in the space agency's Artemis II mission — the US' first lunar mission in a half-century.

The Pomona, California, native will be the first person of color to travel into deep space, hundreds of thousands of miles beyond the low-Earth orbiting International Space Station (ISS).

NASA officials say the diverse crew assignments signify the cultural shifts that have taken place since the original Apollo missions, which ended in 1972, at a time when white men dominated space exploration.

Glover was also the first black man to ever live on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2020 and is among 15 African Americans to be selected as an astronaut.

In his esteemed career since being selected as an astronaut in 2013, Mr Glover has logged over 3,000 flight hours in 40 different aircraft.

Artemis II - which will launch in November 2024 - will see the four-man crew orbit the moon in the Orion spacecraft but not land.

Their goal is to test new technology, including heat shields that protects Orion as it travels 24,500 mph in 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit on its way back.

If successful, NASA plans to launch an expedition to land on the moon titled Artemis III. Another success would spell out a trip to Mars for NASA. 

‘I wanna thank God for this Amazing opportunity,’ Mr Glover said during a new conference Monday.

‘This is a big day. We have a lot to celebrate. It’s so much more than the four names that have been announced. We need to celebrate this moment in human history.

'Artermis II is more than a mission to the Moon and back. It’s more than a mission that has to happen before we send people to the surface of the moon. It is the next step on the journey that gets humanity to Mars.

‘This crew will never forget that.’

Mr Glover was born in 1976 in Pomona, around 30 miles east of Los Angeles.

The city is far from the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, known for its high poverty rate and relatively high crime. 

Mr Glover grew up in Ponoma, CA, 30 miles east of Los Angeles

Mr Glover grew up in Ponoma, CA, 30 miles east of Los Angeles

He said his parents and teachers served as mentors as him growing up.

'Early on in life it had to be my parents; they encouraged me and challenged me and held me to high standards. Outside of home, I had teachers that did the same,' he told USA Today in 2017.

'They all challenged me, and they encouraged me.'

Mr Glover continued that his teachers and parents urged him to go the engineering school and eventually become a test pilot — leading to him becoming an astronaut. 

He graduated from Southern California's Ontario High School in 1994, and went on to attend California Polytechnic State University, before completing his graduate education at Air University and the US Naval Academy.

'I’m the first person in my family to graduate from college, and being at graduation with my mom and my dad and my stepdad and my little brothers and my grandparents,' he said to USA Today.

'That was unreal, that was cool and it was special for me.'

In 1999 he was commissioned as part of the US Navy. After completing flight training in Corpus Christy, Texas, he was 'given his wings' and awarded the title of pilot in 2001.

He then moved to San Diego to learn to fly the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet, known as one of the Navy's more versatile aircraft.

After spending the next two years training in Florida and Virginia, he was deployed to Iraq in 2004 for six months.

Mr Glover was working in the office of the late Sen John McCain as a legislative fellow when he was selected by NASA to become an astronaut in 2013.

NASA only selects a handful of the thousands of people that apply to be a member of the nation's astronaut corps each year. Only 15 black astronauts have ever been selected out of 348.

A vast majority of the 41 current astronauts have a military background, like Mr Glover.

He completed his astronaut training in 2015. Three years later, he was selected to be a part of the first ever operational flight of SpaceX's Crew Dragon, a reusable aircraft designed by the firm Elon Musk found in 2002.

As part of that mission, he would live on the ISS from November 17, 2020 to May 2, 2021.

The nearly six-month-long stay on the station makes him the first black astronaut to inhabit it.

Jeanette Epps, 52, who was selected to be an astronaut in 2009 is set to become the second African American, and first black woman, to live on the ISS after the launch of Boeing Starliner-1 in 2024 or later.

In 2020, Mr Glover said it was an honor to be the first black person selected to the ISS.

'It is something to be celebrated once we accomplish it, and I am honored to be in this position and to be a part of this great and experienced crew,' he said during a news conference. 

'I look forward to getting up there and doing my best to make sure, you know, we are worthy of all the work that's been put into setting us up for this mission.'

In an interview with The Christian Chronicle later that year, he said there were qualified black astronauts that should have earned the honor before him.

'I've had some amazing colleagues before me that really could have done it, and there are some amazing folks that will go behind me,' he said. 

'I wish it would have already been done, but I try not to draw too much attention to it.' 

Who is Christina Koch? The first female NASA astronaut set to orbit the moon

Christina Koch is set to become the first woman to go around the moon when NASA's Artemis II mission takes off next year.

Christina Koch, 44, from Grand Rapids, Michigan, is set to become the first woman to go around the moon

Christina Koch, 44, from Grand Rapids, Michigan, is set to become the first woman to go around the moon

The Grand Rapids, Michigan native, 44, is already the record-holder for the longest amount of time a woman has spent in space, 328 days, and for taking part in the first all-female spacewalk in 2019.

Selected to become an astronaut in 2013, Ms Koch said she has not followed a 'checklist' in order to become an astronaut — but instead chased her passions whether this be rock climbing, sailing or even learning to surf in her 40s.

She said in 2020: 'I really don't remember a time when I didn't want to be an astronaut. 

'For me, I learned that if I was going to be an astronaut, it was because my passions had turned me into someone that could contribute the most as someone contributing to human space flight.'

While she's exploring space, her husband Robert will be left taking care of housework and the couple's puppy, LBD. It is not believed that they have children.

'Am I excited? Absolutely!' she said at a news conference at the crew's announcement Monday.

‘The one thing I'm most excited about is that we will carry your excitement,your aspirations, your dreams, on this mission.’

She also said: ‘We are going to launch from Kennedy space center, we are going to here the words “go for launch” on top of the most powerful rocket NASA’s ever made.’

NASA has sent a total of 355 people to space so far, of which some 55 have been women — or 15 percent. It has also sent 24 people to orbit the moon and 12 to walk on the lunar surface who were all men.

Russian Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman to ever leave the earth's atmosphere — setting off in 1937. American women did not get sent to space until 1983.

Ms Koch, however, will make history on the Artemis II mission when she completes her long-awaited trip around the moon.

She revealed her love of space in a video when she was announced as a member of the Artemis I team in 2020.

The astronaut said: 'I am someone who has loved exploration on the frontier since I was little. 

'I used to be inspired by the night sky and throughout my career,  it's been this balance between engineering for space science missions and doing science in really remote places all over the world.

'I loved things that made me feel small, things that made me ponder the size of the universe, my place in it and everything that was out there to explore.'

She added: 'I didn't necessarily live my life following check boxes of how you could become an astronaut.

'But I followed those passions and one day I looked at what I had become and the skills I had gathered and I asked "could I sit across from a table and present myself as someone who could do this well?". And I thought, I'm going to give this a shot.' 

She went to North Carolina State University in Raleigh to get a bachelor's and a master's in Electrical Engineering.

She then became an Electrical Engineer at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, before becoming a research associate for the United States Antarctic Program — living an entire year in the Arctic.

Ms Koch was one of eight selected as part of NASA's 21st class of astronauts in 2013. After two years of training, she became a full-fledged astronaut.

Her first space flight came in 2019 when she was sent to the International Space Station (ISS) to work as a flight engineer.

She stayed up there for 328 days, taking the record for the longest spaceflight by a woman. The previous record holder, Peggy Whitson, was in space for 288 days.

While in space she also took the record for the first all-women space walk — when an astronaut gets out of a vehicle while in space — with Jessica Meir.

The pair spent seven hours and 17 minutes on the side of the ISS as they worked to replace a power controller. The walk also included a brief call with President Trump.

Upon her return to Earth in 2020, Ms Koch said she felt 'like a baby' who was two weeks old and working hard to hold up its head.

Back on Earth, she lives in Galveston, Texas, just outside of the Houston area.

Among her interests are backpacking, running, yoga, photography and travel.

Now she will be a part of a groundbreaking mission in NASA's goal towards putting a man on Mars. 

The Artemis II mission marks NASA's first trip to the moon in half a century. It says it will be performed to help test kit in preparation for getting humans onto Mars.

The agency sent an empty Orion capsule around the moon last year before it returned to Earth in a long-awaited dress rehearsal.

If this latest mission goes well, then another flight to land people on the moon will be sent in 2025 — as part of tests ahead of getting people onto Mars.

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It is hoped that astronauts living on the moon in the future will be able to extract the molecular oxygen and hydrogen, to produce water and pure oxygen

Future missions to the south pole of the moon could be refuelled at a base camp, as proposed by the NASA Artemis mission, using the moonwater. Pictured, NASA impression of Artemis astronauts on the surface of Moon

Dr Paul Hayne from the University of Colorado, Boulder led a project that tried to determine just how many of these there are and how much water they may contain. 

His team used theoretical modelling and data from the Lunar Renaissance Orbiter (LRO) to piece this puzzle together.  

They vary enormously in size, the researchers say, with some as large as one kilometre in diameter and some just one centimetre in width. 

Up to a fifth of all water ice believed to be trapped in these spots is thought to be in the tiniest of the craters, the researchers say. 

More than half (60 per cent) of the cold traps are in the south and the majority are at latitudes in excess of 80 degrees because 'permanent shadows equatorward of 80° are typically too warm to support ice accumulation', the researchers write. 

In total, they speculate up to 40,000 square kilometres of water ice exists in the cold traps, the same as twice the contents of Lake Ontario.  

Dr Tothill says: 'Taken together, these papers tell us that there really is water ice on the moon, and it's probably widespread over both polar regions - with a bit more in the south. 

Tardigrades were left on the MOON by Israel's Beresheet probe crash 

Tardigrades are regraded as Earth's hardiest animal and can withstand the most brutal conditions known to man - and now thousands of them are the moon.

Experts say it is impossible to know if the durable animals — often dubbed 'moss piglets' or 'water bears' — will be able to withstand the barren landscape and harsh conditions of the lunar surface.  

Israel's Beresheet mission hoped to send a host of scientific instruments to the lunar surface and alongside them, safely packed away, was a treasure trove of information and a smattering of the 'water bears'.

They formed part of the 'Lunar Library' project masterminded by serial entrepreneur Nova Spivack.

It hoped to use the Beresheet mission as the first step towards creating a 'Earth back-up' composed of all of mankind's knowledge.

As part of this quest, Spivack sent human DNA, 30 million pages of information and a host of tardigrades along on the doomed craft.

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'This in turn tells us how and where to look for water on the moon, with either robot or human explorers.' 

While this research confirms long-held theories, astronomers have been acting on these suspicions for a long time. 

NASA, for example, banked on finding water and plans to build a base camp at the moon's south pole. Israel's failed Beresheet mission also had a similar thought process.

Before a crash landing, it had intended to touch down in the lowland area of Mare Serenitatis. This area gave off a distinct signal indicating water is present there. 

Thousands of dried tardigrades were secretly sent on this mission and these creatures are known as being the hardiest creatures in the world. 

They can be revived by water, survive UV rays and Israel hoped to see if they would survive on the moon. 

'But we don't have to worry that tardigrades are now running around the Moon,' says Alice Gorman of Flinders University, a leading space archaeologist. 

'They're encased in resin, and the water is most likely trapped inside glasses formed by micrometeorite impacts.'  

The discovery, which was tantalisingly teased by NASA last week, has significant implications for future space missions to our natural satellite. 

Dr Jonti Horner from the University of Southern Queensland calls the research 'definitely exciting'. 

He says future missions to the south pole of the moon could be refuelled at a base camp, as proposed by the NASA Artemis mission, using the moonwater.    

But the implications are far more significant than that, experts say. 

Instead of simply refuelling and returning to Earth, the presence of moonwater , and therefore lower costs for return trips, also open the door for interplanetary missions.

'To launch a litre bottle of water from Earth to the Moon costs $35,000 – almost the same cost as if we just made that bottle solid gold, says Professor Alan Duffy, lead scientist of The Royal Institution of Australia.

'But by accessing it directly from the Moon itself we turn our celestial neighbour into a resupply as well as a refuelling station.

'Water can directly support astronauts on a planned Moon-base, used to grow food on long-duration missions to Mars, and even split into literal rocket fuel for powering our satellites and rockets across the Solar System. '

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