Planetary scientists have found that magnetic anomalies in the region of the Moon’s south pole can protect deposits of water ice in craters from destruction by the solar wind by deflecting ions, according to a report from the 53rd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference.
The polar regions of the Moon are of great interest to astronomers because the Sun never rises above the rims of many of the craters located in them, which is why the temperature inside the craters is maintained at levels of up to -250 degrees Celsius. Thanks to this, the craters become cold traps and are able to preserve water ice, signs of which have already been found by the LRO and Chandrayaan-1 orbiters. This makes the polar regions of the Moon an attractive target for planning research missions, including manned ones, as well as the construction of lunar bases.
Chinese scientists discovered water in a sample of lunar soil delivered to Earth by the Chang’e-5 automatic station in 2020. The research paper states that the lunar soil sample contains 120 parts per million of water, much of it from the solar wind. The Chinese probe was launched on November 23, 2020. Returned to Earth on December 16 of the same year, delivering 1731 grams of lunar soil.
A sample of lunar gas and soil, collected 50 years ago, was also printed recently – just this year. The Apollo space program lasted from 1961 to 1975. In total, American missions brought 2,196 rock samples from the Moon to Earth. Some of the last tubes were sealed about 50 years ago – and only now NASA has begun to study them.