--- title: "Study: There’s Way More Water on the Moon Than We Thought" description: "A team of researchers at the University of California found that there could be way more ice water on the surface of the Moon than we initially thought." date: "2019-07-23" modified: "2019-07-23" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/study-more-water-moon" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Moon" - "Science & Energy" - "Space" tags: - "lunar mission" - "moon" - "NASA" - "water on moon" --- # Study: There’s Way More Water on the Moon Than We Thought ![A team of researchers at the University of California found that there could be way more ice water on the surface of the Moon than we initially thought.]() *\Image: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University/Victor Tangermann\* ## Moon Water A team of researchers at the University of California says that there could be way more ice water on the surface of the Moon than previously believed — and that could be a huge deal for future missions to the Moon. By comparing shaded areas that are protected from the Sun on the surface of Mercury with similar shadowed craters on the Moon, they concluded that ice deposits, sometimes several meters thick, could survive inside shadowed craters near the Moon's south pole. Since they're shielded from the Sun and endure temperatures as low as -233 Celsius at night, the interiors of those craters could harbor plenty of ice, according to the researchers. Their research [was published]() in the journal *Nature Geoscience* on Monday. The team analyzed data from NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft, a robotic orbiter that spent four years in the orbit of Mercury, and found that it [suggested]() there could be caches of ice in permanently shaded craters. [Previous evidence]() collected by NASA's LRO probe, which crashed into the surface of the Moon in 2009, suggests that some of its craters partially consisted of water and ice vapor. A different study, [published earlier this month]() by scientists from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, also found that these south pole craters could house and trap water — but substantially less than what the team from the University of California is now suggesting. Since the Moon lacks an atmosphere, the contents of the craters are exposed to incoming meteor impacts and ionized gases from the Sun known as solar wind. Erosion then kicks up the water particles to outside the crater, where it can be spotted by instruments on board spacecraft such as NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. "People think of some areas in these polar craters as trapping water and that's it," said William M. Farrell, research lead, said in [a statement](). "But there are solar wind particles and meteoroids hitting the surface, and they can drive reactions that typically occur at warmer surface temperatures. That's something that's not been emphasized." It's unlikely we'll learn precisely how much water is trapped in these shadowed lunar craters until we send astronauts to see it for themselves. In the best case scenario, though, some 12,000 shaded craters on the Moon could hold potentially millions of tons of ice — which could make plans for establishing a permanent base on our closest heavenly neighbor a lot more feasible. **READ MORE:** [Study suggests much more water on the moon than thought]() \[*Phys.org*\] **More on moon water:** *[Australia Has a Plan to Mine Moon Water]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()