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Exploring Hydrogen Resources on the Lunar Surface: Insights from Recent Missions

As we expand our exploration of the Moon, understanding hydrogen presence is crucial for future human settlement. Recent missions, like the Clementine and Lunar Prospector, have detected possible ice in the southern hemisphere and measured epithermal neutron fluxes to evaluate hydrogen distribution. Our ongoing research aims to map the lunar surface's hydrogen content and analyze data to support NASA's lunar exploration efforts. By delving into questions of water origin and sustainability, we pave the way for future energy resources beyond Earth.

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Exploring Hydrogen Resources on the Lunar Surface: Insights from Recent Missions

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  1. Search for Hydrogen on the Lunar Surface i160.photobucket.com/.../shs_moonWater-1.jpg Jose Castellano, Daniel McNeel Dr. Paul Higbie, Dr. Boris Kiefer Department of Physics

  2. Dream to Reality • We have always have a fascination of the unknown • In the world today our resources our limited • We will soon need a new source of energy on which to rely • We are now entering a new era of exploration into the Universe to search for possibilities of a new place to call home.

  3. Water • If there is water on the moon, • Where did it come from? • How is it still present? • In what form does it exist? • Does solar wind affect the possibility? • If solar wind has a positive affect, how? • How many people could survive and for how long. • controleng.com/.../full_moon_02_2000.jpg

  4. Clementine Mission • Clementine • Main credit: imagery and topography • 1.8 million images of the lunar surface • Possible ice detected on the southern hemisphere of the moon www.astro.washington.edu/courses/labs/clearin

  5. Lunar Prospector Mission • Lunar Prospector • Objectives • Map the Moon’s gravitational and magnetic fields, and • Learn more about the size and content of the Moons core. • Prospect the lunar crust and atmosphere for potential resources, including minerals, water ice and certain gases,

  6. Moon Craters and Shadowed Areas • Average crater diameter is 5-20km. • Average crater depth was found to be about 20% of the diameter size • Permanent Shadowed areas: Areas that are never bombarded with radiation from the sun.

  7. Epithermal Neutrons • Epithermal neutrons: Neutrons of Kinetic Energy greater than that of thermal agitation. • The lunar prospector used a neutron spectrometer to measure the flux of epithermal neutrons from the surface to about1.2 meters within the lunar surface. • Maps of epithermal neutron fluxes measured by the Lunar Prospector were used to search for deposits enriched in hydrogenat both lunar poles. directory.eoportal.org/.../129/LRO_Auto17.jpeg

  8. Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) • The LRO mission is aimed to investigate more about the moon to prepare and support future human exploration on the moon. • LEND: • Mission objective of instrument: determine the hydrogen distribution in the lunar subsurface at a depth of 1-2 meters on the lunar surface • LEND will detect neutron counts at several different thermal levels including epithermal. • provide estimation of hydrogen content with spacialresolution of 5 - 20 km lunar.gsfc.nasa.gov/images/hardware/032308e.jpg

  9. Presently Known Lunar Prospector www.nasa.gov/.../112929main_neutrons_strip2.jpg

  10. Current Research: • attempt to overlay lunar topography and chemical abundance maps from the Prospector mission. • Develop image processing tools that may be used by NASA scientists to analyze the previous and LRO hydrogen related data. • Create maps using IDL software and data from the Lunar Prospector mission to show hydrogen content and ratios across the lunar surface. Northern Hemisphere Southern Hemisphere

  11. Conclusion and summary: • Successfully recreating maps of hydrogen content on the lunar surface • Will present research to NASA this summer for internship at Goddard Space Center in Greenbelt, Maryland ( headquarters of LRO mission) • Acquired a better understanding of NASA research efforts and the science of space exploration. • QUESTIONS?

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