The blue areas in this composite image from the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) aboard the ISRO’s Chandrayaan-1 orbiter show water concentrated at the Moon’s poles. Homing in on the spectra of rocks there, the researcher found signs of hematite, a form of rust.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday said that the images sent by India’s first lunar mission, Chandrayaan-1, suggest that the Moon may be rusting along the poles. Chandrayaan-1 was launched in 2008. ISRO’s maiden mission to the Moon has sent images that show that the Moon may be rusting along the poles.
“The sign of this finding is that even though the surface of the Moon is known to have iron-rich rocks, it is not known for the presence of water and oxygen, which are the two elements needed to interact with iron to create rust,” said Singh, who is the Minister of State for the Department of Space.
Images sent by #ISRO mission Chandrayaan-1 indicate possible impact of Earth’s atmosphere on the Moon. World’s leading Space institution NASA takes note of this finding. pic.twitter.com/NkKKHAOuk0
— Dr Jitendra Singh (@DrJitendraSingh) September 6, 2020
Scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) say that this could be because the Earth’s atmosphere is lending a helping hand which, in other words, means that the Earth’s atmosphere could be protecting the Moon as well, the statement said.
“The Chandrayaan-1 Moon data indicates that the Moon’s poles are home to water, this is what the scientists are trying to decipher,” the statement added.
(With PTI Inputs)