Under the direction of specialists from NRL’s Materials Science and Technology Division, the research team is still examining samples from asteroids and the lunar surface to find out more about how surfaces interact with space.
Numerous Apollo missions have been conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to investigate the Moon. In addition, between 1969 and 1972, the missions brought back 382 kg of lunar rocks, core samples, pebbles, sand, and dust. Scientists now have important new knowledge about the universe thanks to the samples.
As of November 15, the journal “Communications Earth & Environment” released the results of the most recent investigation on the Moon, which for the first time showed the presence of hydrogen and suggested that future humans might utilize water accessible for both rocket fuel and life support directly on the moon.
Last week, scientists at the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) reported that they had found hydrogen in sample 79221 of lunar soil. NASA provided the material to the researchers for their investigation. The detected hydrogen is thought to have been produced by solar wind showers that the Moon receives continuously, as well as possible comet impacts.
The primary author, Katherine Burgess, an NRL geologist, stated in a news statement posted on NRL News on November 21 that “hydrogen has the potential to be a resource that can be used directly on the lunar surface when there are more regular or permanent installations there.”
Finding resources and knowing how to gather them before obtaining for space exploration, going to the moon will be really beneficial,” Burgess continued.
Under the direction of specialists in NRL’s Materials Science and Technology Division, the research team is still examining samples from the lunar surface and asteroids to get additional insight into the process of space weathering—the interaction of surfaces with the space environment.
The existence of solar wind helium in lunar soil grains has been confirmed by experts in earlier investigations using Apollo samples.
Dr. Burgess added, “This is the first time scientists have demonstrated the detection of hydrogen-bearing species within vesicles in lunar samples.”
“Previously, the same team at NRL used state-of-the-art techniques such as scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy to detect helium in lunar samples, and other researchers have found water in other planetary samples, but this is the first publication to show hydrogen in-situ in lunar samples,” she stated.
