{"id":3325,"date":"2021-12-02T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-02T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/?p=3325"},"modified":"2021-11-18T04:09:02","modified_gmt":"2021-11-18T04:09:02","slug":"the-moon-may-be-hiding-solid-carbon-dioxide-on-its-surface-through-cold-traps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/the-moon-may-be-hiding-solid-carbon-dioxide-on-its-surface-through-cold-traps\/","title":{"rendered":"The Moon May Be Hiding Solid Carbon Dioxide On Its Surface Through \u201cCold Traps\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Moon may be the closest celestial body to Earth, but it still hides several secrets both on and within its surface. The last time anyone\u2019s ever set food on the lunar surface was back in 1972, after all\u2014thereby necessitating studies on the properties of our neighbor that we only see at night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given that we expect to see vast improvements and innovations in space travel this century, it will be important to develop ways of restocking and refueling our spacecraft without bringing them all the way back to Earth each time. This, of course, sits alongside any academic endeavors which aim to fully understand the history and composition of our planet\u2019s cosmic partner<\/a>, like China\u2019s Chang\u2019e-5 lunar lander<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Astronaut Eugene Cernan was pictured driving the Lunar Roving Vehicle during NASA\u2019s Apollo 17 mission, which lasted from December 11 to December 14, 1972, UTC+0. Humanity has yet to return to the Moon since Cernan and fellow astronauts lifted off from the lunar surface. (NASA, 1972) <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

As a result, it will be important for scientists to understand what materials, if any, can we find on the Moon; figuring these out will help experts plan out future studies and expeditions to the Moon and beyond. And it appears that this is precisely what a team of scientists who published their findings in the Geophysical Research Letters<\/em> journal just did; they just found hard evidence for \u201ccold traps<\/em>\u201d on the Moon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These cold traps can be found in areas of the Moon locked in perpetual darkness, called \u201cpermanently shadowed regions.\u201d These regions never see any sunlight, whether by location or circumstance; as such, these areas commonly experience temperatures lower than even those on Pluto. Because of this, any material that gets anywhere near these areas freeze into solid form and stay frozen, becoming \u201ctrapped\u201d in these cold areas, hence the name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mars houses solid carbon dioxide on its poles, which comprise most of the ice found in the area. These dry ice patches, however, are routinely exposed to sunlight, hence both thawing and refreezing on a regular basis. (Cowart\/Mars Express HSRC, 2018) <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In this case, the cold traps were found on the lunar poles. These areas on the Moon were found after eleven (11) years of data obtained from the Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment aboard NASA\u2019s flying Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These cold patches are scattered across the lunar poles, and when combined, stretch for a total of 204 sq. km. (78 sq. mi.). The largest of these patches is one hidden in the deepest portions of the Amundsen Crater, which already contains 82 sq. km. (31 sq. mi.) of cold trap area all by itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Amundsen Crater is located near the Moon\u2019s south pole, and is around 103 km (64 mi) in diameter. (Lunar Orbiter IV, 2014) <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

To scientists, finding these cold trap patches on the Moon provides tantalizing opportunities for future space travel, as they may house solid carbon dioxide (CO2<\/sub>); these potential dry ice deposits can then be utilized by future human colonies or settlements on the lunar surface, making trips further out into space a whole lot easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of lead author and Planetary Science Institute scientist Norbert Sch\u00f6rghofer: \u201c\u201cMy surprise was that [the cold traps were] actually, definitely there. It could have been that we can’t establish their existence, [they might have been] one pixel on a map […] so I think the surprise was that we really found contiguous regions which are cold enough, beyond doubt.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/h2>\n\n\n\n