Washington - The element hydrogen - a key ingredient in water - is more widespread than expected at the moon's south pole, scientists said Thursday. NASA scientists announced the first data sent back to Earth from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), a satellite that will spend the next year making the most detailed maps yet of the moon's surface to prepare for man's eventual return.
Astronomers had hoped to determine whether water could be hidden in the shadowy craters of the moon near its poles, where a lack of sunlight would prevent ice from evaporating. But the early results showed that hydrogen was spread across the south pole, not just in the craters, said Richard Vondrak, a scientist for the LRO project.
An earlier lunar satellite found high levels of hydrogen in the atmosphere near the poles, a hint that water could be present.
More analysis and data are need to determine the significance of the finding and why hydrogen is in some areas and not others, Vondrak said.
Part of the answer could come October 9, when another craft, the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS), is to crash into the moon, sending up a cloud of dust that astronomers will analyze for evidence of water and other other particles.
The two-part mission with LRO and LCROSS is just beginning, with LRO set to orbit the moon at a low altitude for at least the next year.
"The moon is starting to reveal her secrets, but some of those secrets are tantalizingly complex," Michael Wargo, NASA's chief lunar scientist, told reporters.
