In a new study by the US Planetary Institute and the University of California, Los Angeles, it is proved that there are regions in the southern polar region of the moon, the temperature in which allows carbon dioxide to remain in a frozen solid state. This resource is important for future lunar missions - in the next decade, public and private missions to the Earth satellite are planned, which will need local resources for arrangement.
The good news in recent years has been the discovery of water ice in permanently shaded craters near the lunar south pole, but until recently it was not known how cold these craters were. The fact is that water ice on the Moon can persist even at -163 ° C, and at -223 ° C it is possible to store carbon dioxide without evaporation into a vacuum.
The question has remained open for decades, but a recent study evaluating 11-year data on the lunar surface from the Diviner radiometer showed that the existence of regions with constant ultra-low temperatures is indeed possible. The assessment combined the data of the radiometer and information on the lunar "seasons".
According to research data, about 204 km² of the polar region not only constantly remain cold, they are even colder than the most "frosty" areas of Pluto. In these zones, even during the period of the so-called. "Lunar summer" the temperature does not rise above -213 ° C.
These ultracold temperatures do not guarantee that carbon dioxide is present in such areas in the form of ice, but it is still possible, according to the team of scientists. If found, future missions could use local raw materials to make steel, rocket fuel and even biomaterials.
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