Scientists Find Evidence of Water on the Moon, Here on Earth
Scientists found more evidence for the existence of water on the moon in a lunar meteorite found here on Earth. The discovery came in the form of moganite, a mineral similar to quartz that requires water to form.
Though there are hundreds of lunar meteorites on our planet, this is the first time researchers found the presence of moganite, an oxide mineral. Of the roughly 350 lunar meteorites discovered on Earth, the majority have been discovered in the Sahara and Antarctica.
Scientists originally believed water could exist on the moon in the form of ice trapped in its shadowy craters, though this theory was mostly conjecture. That was until 2008, when the Chandrayaan-1 probe discovered water vapor in the moon’s atmosphere. Since then, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has measured hydrogen on the moon’s surface, strongly suggesting the presence of water.
But it turns out this entire time, all the evidence we needed was here on Earth. And it’s the first sign of water in the subsurface of the moon at mid and lower latitudes.
A recent experiment by scientists at Brown University showed that melted rocks from asteroid impacts are capable of depositing large amounts of water on a planet or satellite. This discovery showed that its possible water on earth may have been deposited by such an impact. And researchers believe H2O may have arrived on the moon in the same way.
If true, this means there is a greater likelihood that a number of planets out there gained water, and subsequently life, through a this type of impact deposit. Though not all scientists agree, with some saying an impact that significant would actually eliminate any chance of water.
But if the theory is correct, it would posit that liquid water temporarily existed on the lunar surface, before it cooled below ground, remaining there and forming moganite in a process called brecciation.
Eventually, another comet impact hit the moon hard enough to blast some of that moganite with escape velocity, sending it out of the moon’s gravitational pull and toward Earth.
Because the moganite-rich meteorite was found in the arid climate of the Sahara, it rules out the possibility that brecciation could have happened on Earth from terrestrial weathering.
The find is promising for future colonization of the moon as a launch point for further space exploration. Water would not only provide a drinking supply for lunar inhabitants, but would offer a key component for making rocket fuel. Estimates put the amount of water contained in lunar soil as high as 0.6 percent, allowing for 1.6 gallons per 36 cubic feet.
Earth’s relationship with the moon is intrinsic to many planetary functions, though we’re not quite sure how it got there. Compared to other planets’ moons ours is massive, and it’s even possible life may not have formed on Earth at all without it in such close proximity.
Despite the numerous trips to the moon’s surface during the Apollo missions, its clear there is still a lot to learn about our lunar counterpart. With such a significant discovery found here on Earth, maybe its time to take another look at the samples brought back from the Apollo missions. Unless they too are just pieces of petrified wood.Â
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NASA's Curiosity Rover May Have Found Fossils on Mars
For years, theorists have suggested that Mars once contained the necessary requirements to support life. Now, NASA’s Curiosity rover may have finally found indication of this from images showing what appear to be fossilized microbial structures.
Over the past five and a half years, NASA’s Curiosity rover has been mapping and imaging the Martian surface to gain more insight on the dusty planet. In addition to snapping pictures, the nomadic vehicle has been searching for signs of water, while also determining the viability for human colonization.
Scientists know that water once flowed on Mars and have been on a quest to discover whether it still does to this day. Aside from ice caps on the Martian poles, evidence of water in Mars’ past can be seen in dried lake beds, gullies, and what was once a large ocean in the planet’s topography.
In recent images of the Gillespie Lake outcrop, in the Yellowknife Bay area, Curiosity sent back pictures of small stick-like formations in a segment of sedimentary rock. To the untrained eye these formations might not appear to be much, but to a microbiologist who has studied microbially induced sedimentary structures (MISS), the pictures seem to have some profound implications.
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Nora Noffke of Old Dominion University in Virgina meticulously compared the photo to instances of MISS on Earth and published a paper that has intrigued scientists at NASA. Though she’s hesitant to make any definitive claims, her paper provides some of the best evidence to date for indications of past lifeforms.
The stick-shaped markings aren’t actually considered to be fossils of microorganisms themselves, but rather fossils of their imprints.
Some have contested that these tubular markings are more likely crystals, rather than the footprint of microorganisms. In either case, the finding shows that the area once consisted of a body of water that had the elements needed to support life.
NASA is planning on sending another rover to Mars in 2020 that is nearly identical to Curiosity, with the goal of strictly searching for signs of previous life. Once collected, samples will be sent back to Earth from a small rocket deployed from the rover.
Scientists have recently found other signs of life on the red planet, including fluctuating levels of methane in the atmosphere. Some have proposed the idea that this gas may be coming from life below the surface.
On Earth, methane is produced from bacteria, primarily in the stomachs of animals and humans. Could there be bacteria, or life containing bacteria, producing that methane below the Martian surface?
