Can astronauts drink water on the moon? | Water Vapor | Impact Crater | Computer Model

[The Epoch Times, May 25, 2022](The Epoch Times reporter Di Rui compiled and reported) A new study believes that,MoonIt has more water resources than previously known, and astronauts who land on the moon in the future can extract the water from the moon to drink, and even process it into rocket fuel.

The study used computer simulations billions of years agoMoonAccording to the above situation, it is believed that there was active volcanic activity on the moon at that time, which erupted every 22,000 years on average.These volcanoes ejected a large amount of magma. In addition to leaving a large number of “moon sea” landforms on the surface of the moon, this study found that the eruptions at that time also released a large amount of magma.water vapora layer of ice several meters thick has accumulated on the lunar surface, some of which are located several meters deep underground on the lunar surface, and some remainimpact craterbottom of.

In recent years, scientists have discovered that the moon has abundant water resources, but it is not clear where this water comes from.Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder establishedcomputer modelsimulating the situation on the moon 2 billion to 4 billion years ago, and found that the moon had extremely active volcanic activity at that time.

The study said that about tens of thousands of times occurred during that period.Volcano eruption, the magnitude of which is unprecedented on Earth. “They are more violent than any eruptive event on Earth,” said one of the principal investigators, Paul Hayne, an assistant professor in the Department of Astrophysics and Planetary Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder.

TheseVolcano eruptionThe main components are carbon monoxide andwater vapor. These eruptions surrounded the lunar surface, making it possible that the moon had an atmosphere for a brief period.

The study speculates that this atmosphere gradually dissipated over a thousand-year period, causing up to 41% of the water in the volcanic eruptions during that period to freeze on the moon’s surface. “These gas mixtures dissipated in about 1,000 years, so there was plenty of time for ice[to remain on the lunar surface],” said co-author Andrew Wilcoski.

The researchers said that there was so much ice on the moon’s surface at that time that if there were people on Earth at that time, the thick, shiny ice caps on the moon’s poles could be seen when looking up.

According to the study’s calculations, about 18 quadrillion (10¹⁵) pounds of water froze on the lunar surface during that period. That’s more than the current amount of water in Lake Michigan.

Much of that water has survived to this day, the study said. That said, the study argues that water resources on the moon are more abundant than previously known, providing a source of drinking water for future astronauts to land on the moon, and even processing them into rocket fuel. But it is not easy to extract these resources. “Probably 5 to 10 meters below the surface, there’s a thick layer of ice,” Hayne said.

The study was published May 3 in The Planetary Science Journal. ◇

Responsible editor: Yang Ming#

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