Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Why there's a rush to explore the Moon's enigmatic South Pole
Two days after the Russian moon lander crashed onto the surface, India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission touched down about 600 kilometers from the lunar south pole on August 23 (Vol.4146-8/31/2023). It was the closest ever landing to the South Pole, where not only Russia and India but also the US and China are all planning to research and explore. Why are these big powers trying to explore the permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) where the Sun’s rays never reach innards and temperatures drop below -200 degrees Celsius? Well, if it’s permanently cold, water ice could have been stored for hundreds of millions of years. Water could be used as a component of rocket fuels and a source of drinking water and oxygen for human settlement. Also, studying how the rocky moon got water will help researchers learn better about our own planet and other exoplanets. Besides water, the Chandrayaan-3’s suitcase-sized rover measured a surface temperature of around 50 degrees Celsius while it was -10C just 80 millimeters below. We can expect more eye-opening findings soon and in the coming years about the Moon.
Enjoy reading the article and learn about the Moon’s south pole.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230830-the-mysteries-of-the-moons-south-pole
Why there's a rush to explore the Moon's enigmatic South Pole
Two days after the Russian moon lander crashed onto the surface, India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission touched down about 600 kilometers from the lunar south pole on August 23 (Vol.4146-8/31/2023). It was the closest ever landing to the South Pole, where not only Russia and India but also the US and China are all planning to research and explore. Why are these big powers trying to explore the permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) where the Sun’s rays never reach innards and temperatures drop below -200 degrees Celsius? Well, if it’s permanently cold, water ice could have been stored for hundreds of millions of years. Water could be used as a component of rocket fuels and a source of drinking water and oxygen for human settlement. Also, studying how the rocky moon got water will help researchers learn better about our own planet and other exoplanets. Besides water, the Chandrayaan-3’s suitcase-sized rover measured a surface temperature of around 50 degrees Celsius while it was -10C just 80 millimeters below. We can expect more eye-opening findings soon and in the coming years about the Moon.
Enjoy reading the article and learn about the Moon’s south pole.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230830-the-mysteries-of-the-moons-south-pole
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