Water ice exists on moon's surface, NASA confirms

The image shows the distribution of surface ice at the Moon's south pole (left) and north pole (right), detected by NASA's Moon Mineralogy Mapper instrument. Blue represents the ice locations, plotted over an image of the lunar surface, where the grayscale corresponds to surface temperature (darker representing colder areas and lighter shades indicating warmer zones). This is the first time scientists have directly observed definitive evidence of water ice on the Moon's surface. (Contributed photo/NASA)

By Leada Gore

lgore@al.com

NASA scientists have confirmed ice created by water on the moon's surface, a discovery that could play a significant role in future space missions.

A team of scientists, led by Shuai Li of the University of Hawaii and Brown University, used data from NASA's Moon Mineralogy Mapper to confirm the water ice at the moon's dark and cold north and south poles.

"Most of the newfound water ice lies in the shadows of craters near the poles, where the warmest temperatures never reach above -250 degrees Fahrenheit. Because of the very small tilt of the Moon's rotation axis, sunlight never reaches these regions," NASA said in a statement.

The ice deposits could be ancient, the U.S. space agency added.

Previous observations found possible signs of surface ice on the lunar south pole. This latest discovery could mean water is more easily accessible, however, clearing the way for future expeditions.

"With enough ice sitting at the surface - within the top few millimeters - water would possibly be accessible as a resource for future expeditions to explore and even stay on the moon, and potentially easier to access than the water detected beneath the moon's surface," NASA"s statement said.

The latest findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Aug. 20.