Scientists Discovered 600 Million Tons of Water Trapped as Ice on the Moon
Sergei Yolkin
2010
______________________________
Processing of data obtained from the American Mini-SAR radar on board the Indian probe Chandrayaan showed that there are at least 600 million tons of ice trapped in craters near the lunar North Pole, NASA said in a statement. The search for water on the moon has been going on for many years, since its presence would make it possible to create a manned station on the moon’s surface. Normally, the Moon is a “dry world”, for lunar conditions do not allow the existence of either ice or water vapour on its surface. However, scientists believe that ice could appear on the moon due to “export”, for instance, a comet hitting its surface. After such an event, water vapour deposited on the moon’s surface would be caught in a “cold trap” and remain there forever.
2 March 2010
Sergei Yolkin
RIA-Novosti
