The Moon features particular zones known as "permanent shadows" that are never exposed to sunlight. The floors of impact craters that have subsided but are still gloomy and very cold are among these dark areas. Because there is a chance that ice will form, scientists think that exploring these dark places could be fruitful. However, it was difficult to explore these locations because of how dark they were. In advance of NASA's planned Artemis mission, a global team of scientists has now created a technique to look into the moon's deepest shadows.
Temperatures in the permanently dark areas are below 100 degrees Kelvin (-173 degrees Celsius) and very close to absolute zero, where water and other flammable chemicals may freeze in the ground. According to experts at ETH Zurich, the ice that developed in the region may provide information on how water is integrated into the Earth-Moon system. Additionally, the ice might include materials that astronauts could use as food, rocket fuel, or radiation protection.
The researchers created high-signal, high-resolution photos of 44 shadowed spots in the Artemis exploration zone using the LRO's narrow angle camera and a physics-based, deep learning-driven post-processing technique. This device is effective at catching photons that are reflected into the shadowy areas by crater walls and nearby mountains. Using this technique, scientists may identify areas in photos that might be explored.
It is now possible to construct accessible paths into permanently shadowed areas, significantly lowering dangers to Artemis astronauts and robotic explorers, according to principle investigator Dr. David A. Kring of the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI).
Researchers estimate that the NASA Artemis mission's astronauts will only be able to stay two hours in the shadowy areas while donning the specially made spacesuit. The newly discovered photos will assist mission designers in directing astronauts to boulders in the shadowy areas and to sites where the distribution of any ices in the soil may be examined.
The group tested its method on photos taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, which was used to capture images of the Artemis exploration zone. Water ice was not discernible in the sheets that cover the dark lunar regions when the improved photos were analysed.
According to Dr. Valentin Bickel, a former graduate student intern at the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) and current postdoctoral researcher at ETH Zurich, "there is no indication of pure surface ice within the shaded zones, meaning that any ice must be mixed with lunar soil." Lead author of the paper that was printed in Geophysical Research Letters is Dr. Bickel.
Dr. Bickel continued by saying that their findings might possibly have an effect on the NASA mission carrying the PRIME-1 payload. He claimed that a crater and some other features had been found, which might change where the "hopper of the intuitive machines lands down later this year."
