Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO’s) Chandrayaan and NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter have confirmed that hydroxyl and water molecules are present on the Moon. Mr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, PG & Pensions, in a written reply to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha today said that NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft launched in June 2009 has detected the spectral signature of hydroxyl, a key indicator that water ice is present in the floor of the crater. The data from the LRO has also indicated that hydrogen bearing molecule deposits may be slightly more abundant on crater slopes in the southern hemisphere that face the lunar South Pole. Data from the Moon Mineralogy Mapper onboard India’s Chandrayaan-1, launched on October 22, 2008, has indicated the presence of hydroxyl and water molecules on the lunar surface. Further, Mini-Synthetic Aperture Radar (Mini-SAR) instrument of Chandrayaan-1 has indicated existence of sub surface water-ice deposits in the base of the craters of permanent sun shadow region. A mass spectrometer based experiment on the Indian Moon Impact Probe (MIP) of Chandrayaan-1 also indicated presence of water molecules in the lunar exosphere. “It is concluded from the above results that hydroxyl and water molecules are present on the Moon. The molecules may be more prevalent beneath the lunar surface,” said the Minister.
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