A Legacy of lunar water through SOFIA

Abstract:

Through its unique instrument suite and operational altitude, the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) has allowed for molecular water on the sunlit Moon to be detected for the first time. The discovery of water on the sunlit Moon is of high importance for planetary and lunar science. At this time SOFIA is the only observatory capable of detecting and mapping the 6 µm molecular water band on the lunar surface using the FORCAST instrument. Initial detections of water on the Moon with SOFIA were made at high southern latitudes in one region. Using FORCAST on SOFIA we are proposing a Legacy campaign to map water on the sunlit Moon. Maps of water across the Moon at multiple lunar times of day, latitudes, and over a range of compositions will allow us to fully characterize the behavior and processes of molecular water on the Moon. We will characterize the mobility of water and determine its correlation with solar wind intensity and other parameters that may indicate its formation mechanisms. Through SOFIA we will advance our understand of water formation, storage, and retention on the lunar surface and extend this to other airless bodies. Maps created through the Legacy program will inform scientists on the availability of molecular water as a resource and how to extract the water (based its residence location) and may be used for landing site selection during the Artemis program.