A Second Frontier?

By Johnny Smith '22

Water is the source of all life on our native planet of Earth. Every species in our world requires this resource more than anything else to survive. However, as we have increasingly looked beyond our native and ultimately tiny skies as time has passed, the question has always remained: where else could we go? Humans have always held an ambiguous fascination for what lies within the realm of the starry night sky, but we have always known that finding sustainable water on other celestial bodies near or far would be the first step to supporting life on such worlds. Alas, after years of research, liquid water was confirmed to have existed on the sunlit surface of the moon as recently as October 26, 2020.

To quote Casey Honniball, the lead publisher and author of the recent discovery, “Prior to the SOFIA observations, we knew there was some kind of hydration.” As far back as August of 1976, signs indicating liquid water existed on the surface of the moon persisted when the Soviet Luna 24 probe traveled to the Mare Crisium lunar basin and collected three regolith samples, each containing 0.1% water by mass. Further observations by NASA in March of 2018 would go to show that ice could be found at the lunar poles, similarly to the geographic and temperate features of our own home. However, it was often difficult to distinguish the findings in such cold regions as either water or its closely-related chemical compound hydroxyl (OH). Not until a recent flight by NASA’s SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy), a plane designed to observe distant celestial bodies from the skies of Earth, was water seen on the sunlit portion of moon, which expectedly stirred excitement amongst scientists involved in the search. This therefore seems to support the theory that life can be supported and sustained on the moon in our approaching efforts of interstellar colonization. However, while this may seem to make our journey slightly easier, it still raises a critical question: how did this water logically exist in a virtually airless and seemingly dry environment while enduring the power of the sun? Theoretical answers complicate things, yet they force scientists into a deep longing for more exploration.

Some theorize that bombardments of micrometeorite showers carrying small traces of water could spread this liquid to the surface of the moon; these showers could also help to explain the enigmatic craters that exist on the lunar surface. Others argue that hydroxyl is merely the initial chemical compound that exists on the moon in a transformation bound to occur. According to this theory, hydrogen from solar winds interacts with oxygen within lunar minerals, and radiation turns that hydroxyl into water. Nevertheless, one ultimate question still remains: how could this precious resource exist on a whole other mysterious and seemingly resource-lacking world? The answer lies in merely discovery and a longing for interstellar exploration amongst young scientists and astronauts that is ever-present. Perhaps finding that answer will be that necessary push for NASA and curious minds all across the world.