NASA/USGS
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Image of Clavius crater on the Moon. Recent research results from the south pole of the moon, confirms the existence of a cold trap of carbon dioxide.
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Nationalgeographic.co.id—After decades of uncertainty, researchers have finally confirmed the existence of a cold trap carbon dioxide from month potentially contain carbon dioxide congested. This discovery will likely have a major influence in shaping the mission month in the future and could have an impact on the feasibility of a sustainable human or robotic presence in month.
In permanently shaded areas at the poles month us, the temperature drops below, even colder than Pluto’s coldest regions, allowing for a cold trap carbon dioxide. In this cold trap, molecules carbon dioxide can freeze and remain solid even during peak temperatures in summer month.
Future human or robot explorers can use carbon dioxide solid in this cold trap to produce fuel or materials to live in month longer. Carbon dioxide and other potentially volatile organic matter can also help scientists better understand the origins of water and other elements in month.
Although cold traps have been predicted by planetary scientists for years, this new study is the first to unequivocally establish and map the existence of cold traps. carbon dioxide. To find the coldest place on the surface month, the researchers had to analyze 11 years of temperature data from the Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment, an instrument that flew above NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
New research, which has been published in the journal AGU Geophysical Research Letters on 02 October 2021 entitled Carbon Dioxide Cold Traps on the Moon, has published a high-impact, short-format report with immediate implications covering all Earth and space sciences, showing that this cold trap includes several pockets concentrated around the moon’s south pole. The total area of this carbon dioxide trap is 204 square kilometers, with the largest area at Amundsen Crater housing 82 square kilometers of traps. In this area, the temperature constantly stays below 60 degrees Kelvin (about minus 352 degrees Fahrenheit.)
However, according to the researchers, the existence of a carbon dioxide cold trap does not guarantee the presence of solid carbon dioxide on the moon, but this verification makes it very likely that future missions could find carbon dioxide ice there.
“I think when I started this, the question was, ‘Can we confidently say there is a carbon dioxide cold trap on the moon or not?'” said Norbert Schörghofer, a planetary scientist at the Planetary Science Institute and lead author of the study, as reported. Tech Explorist.
Also Read: The Moon’s Surface Has Enough Oxygen for Billions of Living People
NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University
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A view of the moon’s south pole, where the newly confirmed carbon dioxide cold trap is located, according to new research in Geophysical Research Letters. Future missions on the Moon may target this region to find out more about the resources that might be there.
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He added, “My surprise was that they were actually there. It could be that we couldn’t confirm their whereabouts, they might be, a pixel on the map… so I think the surprise was that we actually found a pretty cool contiguous area. , no doubt.”
The presence of carbon dioxide traps on the moon is likely to have implications for future lunar exploration planning and international resource policy. If there really is solid carbon dioxide in this cold trap, it could potentially be used in a variety of ways. Future space explorers could use these resources in the production of steel as well as rocket fuel and biomaterials, both of which are essential to the continued existence of robots or humans on the moon. Of course, this potential has attracted the interest of the government and private companies.
Scientists can also study lunar carbon to understand how organic compounds are formed and what types of molecules can be produced naturally in this harsh environment.
Also Read: Asteroids Near Earth Could Missing Moon Shards?
AGU/Geophysical Research Letters
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Map of carbon dioxide cold traps on the moon, with possible cold traps marked in purple. In this region, temperatures drop even below the coldest temperatures measured on Pluto.
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The carbon dioxide cold trap could also help scientists answer longstanding questions about the origin of water and other volatiles in the Earth-moon system, according to Paul Hayne, a planetary scientist at the University of Colorado, Boulder who was not involved in the study.
“This should be a high priority site to target for future landing missions. It shows exactly where you might go to the lunar surface to answer some of the big questions about volatiles on the moon and their delivery from elsewhere in the solar system,” Hayne said.
Carbon dioxide could be a tracer of water sources and other volatile substances on the Moon’s surface. The findings will help scientists understand how carbon dioxide appears on the Moon and on Earth.
Also Read: Wow, Moon Rock Age Turns Close to 1.97 Billion Years!
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