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A strange formation on the Moon has appeared in new images, and its sharp edges are making people ask one big question: could it be artificial? Some believe it may be a natural lunar feature, while others think it looks like something built long before humans ever reached space. So is this just another trick of light and shadow — or a clue left behind by ancient aliens?
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00:02Something unusual has been spotted on the Moon, and it's getting attention for a reason.
00:08New high-resolution observations linked to NASA's Artemis program
00:12revealed areas where the lunar surface appears to have shifted, cracked, or partially collapsed.
00:19In some images, it even looks like a section of the Moon has broken away.
00:23At first glance, this sounds extreme.
00:26The Moon is usually described as geologically inactive, a stable and unchanging world.
00:33But the data tells a different story.
00:36Certain regions now show surface features that were not clearly visible in older imagery,
00:42suggesting relatively recent changes.
00:45The key to understanding this lies in how the Moon actually evolves.
00:51Even without plate tectonics like Earth, the Moon is still slowly changing.
00:56One of the main reasons is temperature.
00:59The lunar surface experiences extreme swings from about 120 degree by 6 during the day
01:05to 130 degree by 6 at night.
01:08These rapid changes cause the surface material to expand and contract over and over again,
01:15gradually weakening rock structures.
01:18Over time, this leads to cracking.
01:20Another major factor is the Moon's internal cooling.
01:24As the Moon slowly loses heat, its interior contracts.
01:29This process creates stress in the crust, forming features known as lobate scarps,
01:35which are essentially small cliffs or fault lines.
01:37Data from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has identified thousands of these structures,
01:44some stretching for several kilometers.
01:47What makes them important is their age.
01:50Many of these scarps appear relatively young,
01:53which suggests the Moon is still tectonically active on a small scale.
01:58There is also direct evidence of seismic activity.
02:01Instruments left on the surface during the Apollo missions recorded moonquakes with magnitudes
02:08up to about 5.0.
02:10These are strong enough to shift surface material,
02:13especially in areas where the ground is already unstable.
02:17Recent analysis shows that some of these lunar faults
02:21may have been active within the last 50 million years,
02:24which is extremely recent in geological terms.
02:27In some regions, boulders up to several meters in size have been observed at the base of cliffs,
02:34likely dislodged by seismic activity.
02:37Computer models suggest that even a moderate moonquake
02:41could trigger cascading rockfalls across unstable slopes,
02:45especially near the lunar poles where future missions are planned.
02:49This means that what looks like a small surface crack in satellite images
02:53could actually be part of a much larger and ongoing structural shift.
02:58In several locations,
03:00high-resolution images show slopes that appear to have partially collapsed.
03:05Loose material has moved downhill,
03:07leaving behind fresh-looking surfaces that stand out from older terrain.
03:12In some cases,
03:13this creates the visual impression
03:15that a chunk of the Moon has broken off.
03:18In reality,
03:19these are most likely landslides or regolith movements
03:23triggered by moonquakes,
03:24temperature stress,
03:26or both.
03:27Micrometeorites add another layer to the process.
03:30The Moon has no atmosphere,
03:33so even tiny particles strike the surface at high speeds.
03:37Over time,
03:38these constant impacts disturb the upper layer of dust and rock,
03:42making it easier for material to shift
03:44when other forces act on it.
03:46All of these factors combined make the lunar surface
03:49more dynamic than it appears from Earth.
03:52For scientists,
03:53this is not just an interesting detail.
03:56It has practical implications.
03:59Missions like Artemis
04:00are focused on long-term exploration,
04:03including future landings
04:05and potential infrastructure on the Moon.
04:08Understanding which areas are stable
04:10and which are prone to change is critical.
04:12Regions with active fault lines
04:15or loose surface material
04:17could present risks for landing spacecraft
04:19or building equipment.
04:21That is why updated mapping
04:23and continuous observation are so important.
04:26At the same time,
04:28these changes provide valuable scientific insight.
04:31They show that the Moon is not completely inactive.
04:35It is still evolving,
04:37slowly reshaping its surface
04:38through small but continuous processes.
04:42The idea that a massive piece of the Moon
04:44suddenly broke off
04:45is not supported by current evidence.
04:48But smaller-scale changes are happening,
04:51and they are measurable.
04:53And in some cases,
04:54they can look dramatic enough
04:56to raise new questions.
04:58Because when we look at the Moon
04:59with higher precision than ever before,
05:02we are starting to see something unexpected.
05:05A world that seemed frozen in time
05:07is still changing.
05:13Recently,
05:14Chinese scientists discovered
05:15something interesting on the Moon,
05:17an unusual crystal.
05:19Moreover,
05:20they found out
05:21that this crystal contains an element
05:23that can literally replace nuclear fuel.
05:25Let's find out more.
05:28The composition of the Moon
05:30has long remained a mystery to us.
05:32Half a century has already passed
05:34since the Apollo mission.
05:35Unfortunately,
05:36we haven't traveled to the Moon much since then,
05:38so it's not surprising
05:40that it's not so easy for us to study it.
05:42But recently,
05:44we've made a breakthrough in this area.
05:46In December 2020,
05:48Chinese scientists sent
05:49the Chang'a 5 probe to the Moon.
05:52The mission was named
05:53after the ancient Chinese deity of the Moon,
05:56Chang'a.
05:56Quite poetic, isn't it?
05:58Anyway,
05:59after the probe went to the nearest side of the Moon,
06:02it spent several days
06:03digging through the surface and rocks
06:05and then returned to Earth.
06:07In total,
06:08it collected about 4 pounds
06:10of various lunar rocks,
06:11like basalt,
06:12solidified lava,
06:13and so on.
06:15And yeah,
06:16maybe it doesn't sound too impressive,
06:18but it's actually a mini-breakthrough.
06:20After all,
06:21we hadn't received any lunar samples
06:23since 1976.
06:25And these samples are very important
06:27for learning the history of our world.
06:30We've been struggling for many years
06:32to find out,
06:32for example,
06:33how the Moon was born at all.
06:36Yes,
06:36there were a lot of theories,
06:38but we still couldn't find
06:39any proper evidence for any of them.
06:42But thanks to the latest missions
06:44and some computer simulations,
06:46scientists finally found out the truth.
06:49The Moon was born
06:50when some random dwarf planet
06:51crashed into our Earth
06:53many millions of years ago.
06:55This dwarf planet
06:56was slightly smaller than Mars.
06:58The fragments of the Earth
06:59went into space,
07:01but some of them
07:01stayed in our orbit.
07:03Then they stuck together
07:04and formed the Moon.
07:07It sounds horrifying,
07:08but in reality,
07:10the birth of the Moon
07:10was the best thing
07:11to ever happen to our planet.
07:13If it weren't for this beautiful satellite,
07:16all our oceans
07:16would be small puddles.
07:18Life wouldn't have appeared
07:19on Earth at all.
07:21So this is already
07:23an amazing discovery,
07:24but that's still not all.
07:26Studying the collected rocks,
07:28scientists from the
07:28Beijing Research Institute
07:30discovered something unusual,
07:32a rare lunar crystal.
07:35Looks pretty boring, doesn't it?
07:37Just some tiny transparent monocrystal
07:39about the thickness
07:40of a human hair.
07:41We've already found
07:43such things on the Moon before.
07:44These crystals were formed
07:46as a result of volcanic activity,
07:48just like some garnets
07:49on the Earth.
07:50And yep,
07:51the place where they discovered
07:52these crystals
07:53also suffered from volcanoes,
07:551.2 billion years ago.
07:57That means that this tiny baby
07:59is over a billion years old.
08:03But that's not the most important thing.
08:05It's the fact that this crystal
08:07is made of a unique material,
08:09the one that we've never seen before.
08:11Researchers from the
08:13International Mineralogical Association
08:15have confirmed that such a composition
08:17can't be found
08:18anywhere on Earth.
08:20The crystal was named
08:21Chongacite,
08:22again after the same Moon deity.
08:26And this is another achievement.
08:28This is the sixth
08:29previously unknown mineral
08:31that we found on the Moon
08:32and the first one found by China.
08:34Now, it has become
08:36the third country in the world
08:37to make such a lunar discovery.
08:39However, this tiny crystal
08:41still wasn't the only
08:42remarkable thing they found.
08:44After studying this gem
08:46and about 140,000
08:48other lunar particles,
08:50scientists have discovered
08:51something else.
08:52They found helium-3.
08:55Why is it so important?
08:57Because this is one of the elements
08:59that feed the Sun
09:00and other stars in our universe.
09:05We tend to say stuff like
09:06put out the Sun,
09:08the Sun is burning,
09:09and so on.
09:10And this is one of the reasons
09:11why many people actually think
09:13that the Sun is a huge fireball.
09:16But it's not.
09:17Its burning is actually
09:19a completely different process,
09:21which is called nuclear fusion.
09:23The process itself
09:25is quite simple.
09:26During this reaction,
09:28hydrogen in the star
09:29turns into helium.
09:31But this simple process
09:32is actually one of the most violent
09:34and insane reactions
09:36in the universe.
09:37There is a real boiling broth
09:39of particles inside the Sun.
09:41The hydrogen nuclei
09:43that jump and rush there
09:44are constantly repelling each other
09:46since all of them
09:47are positively charged.
09:49And so,
09:50they could continue to boil
09:51and chill around
09:52without bothering anyone
09:53if it weren't for the stars.
09:55The stars turned out
09:56to be cheaters.
09:58They have such strong gravity
10:00that they basically grab
10:01billions of these little atoms
10:03and squeeze them together.
10:05Combining with each other,
10:06these atoms create
10:07new heavy elements,
10:09like the mentioned helium.
10:11And when this happens,
10:12they throw a lot of energy
10:14into space.
10:15And that's how the Sun burns.
10:18At the same time,
10:19it spreads so much energy
10:20that we can't even imagine.
10:23Okay,
10:24so what is helium-3?
10:26Well,
10:26this is an element
10:27to which even the Sun can say,
10:29whoa, dude,
10:30you should calm down.
10:31The fusion of helium-3 atoms
10:33releases even more energy
10:35than in typical nuclear fusion.
10:38And most importantly,
10:39it doesn't pollute the atmosphere
10:41with harmful things
10:42like radiation.
10:44We have very,
10:45very little helium-3 on Earth.
10:48Its prevalence in our atmosphere
10:49is about one in a million.
10:51And besides,
10:52it's constantly trying
10:53to escape from us
10:54back into space.
10:55Probably feel some bad vibes
10:58from us.
11:00However,
11:01scientists have recently found out
11:03that there's a place
11:04that contains a lot
11:05of this element.
11:06Yep,
11:07you guessed it,
11:08it's the Moon.
11:09We think that there's more helium-3
11:11on the Moon
11:12than on Earth
11:13because of the solar winds.
11:15The Sun has been hammering
11:17on the Moon
11:17with its helium-3
11:18for billions of years.
11:20So now,
11:21it's all over the place.
11:22It's still not too much
11:24if you compare it,
11:25for example,
11:25with Jupiter or Saturn.
11:27But don't forget
11:28how much energy
11:29it can release.
11:31For your information,
11:33with only 25 tons
11:34of helium-3,
11:35it's possible
11:36to provide America
11:37with energy
11:38for an entire year.
11:40Now,
11:40there are 35,000 tons
11:42of it here on Earth
11:43and more than
11:44a million tons
11:45on the Moon.
11:46Only these sources
11:48could feed the entire US
11:49for thousands of years.
11:51So basically,
11:53in the future,
11:53helium-3 may become
11:55a new source of fuel.
11:57And it's better
11:58than nuclear fuel
11:59in basically everything.
12:01Helium-3 won't leave
12:02any harmful waste
12:03and radiation.
12:04It's more powerful
12:05and not that dangerous.
12:07In other words,
12:08this environmentally friendly
12:10and efficient energy
12:11could be a revolution
12:12for our planet.
12:13Sounds cool, huh?
12:16So,
12:17what are we waiting for?
12:18Grab the shovels,
12:19you might say.
12:20But there's
12:21a little problem here.
12:22Unfortunately,
12:23we haven't yet come up
12:24with anything
12:25as wildly strong
12:26and hot
12:27as the stars.
12:28To use helium-3,
12:30we need crazy temperatures
12:32and pressure.
12:33We need a thermonuclear reactor
12:35and we have no idea
12:36how to build it.
12:37Yet.
12:38And even if we could
12:40heat it up
12:40to such temperatures
12:41and get the needed pressure,
12:43we still don't really know
12:44how to handle
12:45helium-3 correctly.
12:47Therefore,
12:48even if we have
12:49an infinite amount
12:50of helium-3,
12:51we still won't be able
12:52to use it.
12:53But still,
12:54there's a great power
12:55behind helium-3,
12:56so it's not surprising
12:58that different countries
12:59have already started
13:00a race
13:00for nuclear resources.
13:02Now that Chang'an 5
13:04has discovered
13:05a new helium-3 deposit
13:07on the nearest side
13:08of the moon,
13:08this race can become
13:10downright global.
13:11For example,
13:12China already plans
13:13a new lunar mission
13:15in 2024,
13:16Chang'an 6.
13:18During this mission,
13:19they want to collect
13:20the first samples
13:21from the far side
13:22of the moon.
13:24As you can see,
13:25finding this lunar crystal
13:26was very important for us.
13:28These crystals
13:29can help us find
13:30new ways
13:30to create helium-3.
13:32And if we manage
13:33to do that,
13:34humankind will enter
13:35a new era.
13:37But to do this,
13:38we still have to solve
13:39a number of problems.
13:41How to deliver
13:42a bunch of these lunar
13:43crystals to Earth,
13:44how to make them
13:45produce energy,
13:46and so on.
13:48Let's hope that
13:49in the future,
13:49these issues
13:50will be resolved
13:51and we'll find a way
13:52to produce clean,
13:53safe,
13:54unlimited energy.
13:58There's something
13:59happening inside the moon,
14:01something that
14:02nobody expected.
14:03Not a dramatic shift
14:05you'd see on the outside,
14:06but deep down,
14:07where things seem
14:08frozen in time,
14:09scientists have uncovered
14:10a hidden layer
14:11of what you could only call
14:13moon goo.
14:15Remember those school lessons
14:16about the crust,
14:17mantle,
14:18and core?
14:18Much like the Earth,
14:20the moon is made up
14:21of layers,
14:22a crust,
14:22mantle,
14:23and core.
14:24However,
14:25the moon's core
14:25is much smaller
14:26compared to ours.
14:28Earth's core is huge,
14:30it makes up about
14:30a third of our
14:31entire planet's mass.
14:33The moon's core
14:34makes up only about
14:351 to 2% of its mass,
14:37and its diameter
14:38is about 1 fifth
14:39the diameter
14:40of the moon itself.
14:41It's surrounded
14:42by a hard,
14:43rocky mantle.
14:44But it turns out
14:45that between
14:46these two layers,
14:47that mysterious
14:48goo layer,
14:49and it's way more
14:50important than you
14:51might think.
14:52The layer is soft
14:53and partially molten,
14:55ebbing and flowing
14:56like the tides
14:57in our oceans.
14:58It rises and falls,
15:00stretching and shifting
15:01as if it were alive.
15:03Its movement
15:03isn't chaotic,
15:05but subtle
15:05and regular.
15:06We always knew
15:08that the moon
15:08influences our seas
15:09and oceans,
15:10causing tides
15:11with its gravity.
15:12But it turns out
15:14that we influence
15:15it back.
15:16The goo ocean
15:17reacts to the
15:18gravitational dance
15:19between Earth
15:20and the Sun.
15:21Also,
15:22the molten layer
15:23could be made
15:23of ilmanite,
15:24a very intriguing
15:25material.
15:26Ilmanite is rich
15:27in titanium,
15:28a strong and
15:29lightweight metal
15:30that we really love
15:31over here on Earth.
15:32Titanium is used
15:33in everything
15:34from airplane parts
15:35and spacecraft
15:36to medical devices,
15:38even in everyday items
15:39like bikes
15:40and laptops,
15:41all because
15:42it's incredibly strong
15:43and very resistant
15:44to corrosion
15:45and heat.
15:46So,
15:46if the moon
15:47might have
15:48a molten layer
15:49rich in ilmanite,
15:50that would be awesome.
15:52Astronomers are already
15:53planning for lunar bases.
15:54And if we had a material
15:56to build structures,
15:57spacecraft,
15:58or even tools
15:59for astronauts
15:59right there,
16:01that would be
16:01a game-changer.
16:03Otherwise,
16:03we'd need to transport
16:04materials from Earth,
16:06which is extremely costly.
16:07This is our first
16:08tangible sign
16:09that the moon
16:10is not just
16:11a cold,
16:12boring rock.
16:12Instead,
16:13it's dynamic,
16:15living,
16:15and breathing,
16:16with moving forces
16:17beneath the surface.
16:19NASA used
16:20new special tools
16:21to discover this,
16:22the Gravity Recovery
16:24and Interior Laboratory
16:25and the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
16:28These are both
16:28space missions
16:29designed to study the moon,
16:31but they don't just
16:32look at the surface
16:33like a telescope.
16:34Instead,
16:35they help measure things
16:36we can't see
16:37with our eyes,
16:38like the moon's gravity
16:39and how it changes
16:40over time.
16:41GRAIL sent
16:43two small spacecraft
16:44around the moon
16:45named Ebb and Flow.
16:47Clever.
16:48The idea was
16:49for these spacecraft
16:50to fly close to each other
16:52and measure tiny differences
16:53in the moon's gravity
16:54as they go.
16:55It's like they were
16:56feeling the moon's
16:57invisible pull
16:58in different places.
16:59If the moon's gravity
17:01was stronger in one spot,
17:02the spacecraft
17:03moved closer together,
17:04and if it was weaker,
17:06they moved farther apart.
17:07This helps scientists
17:09understand what's going on
17:10inside the moon,
17:11even if they can't
17:12actually go there.
17:13And the spacecraft
17:14intentionally crashed
17:16into the moon
17:16in December 2012
17:18to end the mission.
17:19The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
17:21is a bit different.
17:22It takes super-detailed
17:24pictures of the moon
17:25and collects other
17:26important information
17:27about its surface.
17:28By combining the information
17:30from both GRAIL and LRO,
17:32we were able to find
17:33this goo layer.
17:35But this discovery
17:36actually challenges
17:37everything we thought
17:39we knew about lunar geology.
17:40How did this molten layer
17:42get there?
17:42How long has it existed?
17:44And perhaps more fascinating,
17:46how it stayed warm
17:47for millions of years?
17:49That's a million-dollar question.
17:51The moon's core
17:52generates heat,
17:53just like ours.
17:54But it's not as easy
17:55as saying,
17:56oh, the core's heat
17:57probably keeps it warm
17:59and molten.
18:00Well, first,
18:01the moon's core
18:01is much smaller
18:02and less active
18:03than Earth's,
18:04meaning it produces
18:05significantly less heat.
18:07Plus, the moon
18:08is much cooler
18:08than Earth in general.
18:09With temperature dropping
18:11to minus 200 degrees Fahrenheit
18:13on the surface,
18:14how could this inner layer
18:15still stay
18:16in this flowing state?
18:17That's still a mystery.
18:19In any case,
18:20this goo
18:20could actually explain
18:22a lot of stuff
18:22about the moon.
18:23For example,
18:24astronomers were exploring
18:26moon quakes
18:27and how they happened.
18:28Now they think
18:29that it might be
18:30this semi-molten layer
18:31shifting and moving
18:32beneath the surface.
18:33Now, beyond the moon itself,
18:35it also tells us more
18:37about other celestial bodies.
18:39If the moon,
18:40something we considered
18:41basically a huge static rock,
18:43has such a dramatic life,
18:45what about other planets,
18:46moons, or asteroids?
18:48Could they also hide
18:49similar hidden movements
18:51beneath their surfaces?
18:52We can even understand
18:54our own planet better,
18:55learn more about how tides
18:57and similar stuff works.
18:58There are so many
19:00great discoveries
19:01we've been making
19:01on the moon.
19:02Recently,
19:03we found some awesome stuff
19:05beneath the surface.
19:06Massive caves,
19:07hidden for millions of years.
19:09For over 50 years,
19:11scientists have suspected
19:12that the moon's surface
19:13is full of underground tunnels
19:15and caves.
19:16These are known as lava tubes
19:18because they were formed by lava.
19:20Duh!
19:21Millions of years ago,
19:23the moon was pretty unstable.
19:24It underwent some volcanic activity,
19:27causing eruptions.
19:28When a volcano erupts,
19:29lava can flow across the surface.
19:31As the outer layer
19:33of the lava cools
19:34and hardens,
19:35it forms a solid roof
19:36of dark material.
19:37It's actually what
19:38these famous dark spots
19:40on the moon are.
19:41These are dark,
19:42hardened remains
19:43of ancient lava.
19:44But the hot,
19:45molten lava continues
19:46to flow through the center.
19:48Once the eruption ends
19:49and the lava drains away,
19:51what's left behind
19:52is an empty,
19:53hollow tunnel,
19:54hence a lava tube.
19:55On Earth,
19:57we have lava tubes
19:58in places like Hawaii
19:59or Iceland,
20:00where volcanic activity
20:02has created similar
20:03underground tunnels.
20:04The same thing happened
20:05on the moon
20:06billions of years ago.
20:08Although,
20:08they're much crazier
20:09compared to ours.
20:10In fact,
20:11lunar lava tubes
20:12are now thought
20:13to be some of the largest
20:14and longest
20:15in the entire solar system.
20:17One such cave
20:18was discovered
20:18beneath the famous
20:19Mare Tranquillitus,
20:21the place where
20:22Apollo 11 first landed.
20:23And it's at least
20:24340 feet deep.
20:26Now,
20:27all these lava systems
20:28have remained hidden
20:29just beneath the surface,
20:30untouched
20:31for millions of years.
20:32Only now,
20:34they finally managed
20:34to prove their existence.
20:36Scientists from
20:37the University of Trenta
20:39in Italy
20:39found them using
20:40special radar technology
20:42and advanced
20:42computer methods.
20:44These techniques
20:45let you see underground
20:46by sending radar waves.
20:48The waves bounce back
20:50and give clues
20:51about what's hidden underneath.
20:52By analyzing
20:53the way these waves
20:54reflected back,
20:56the researchers
20:56could detect the shape
20:58and size
20:58of the hidden caves.
21:00Now,
21:01the best thing
21:01about this discovery
21:02is that we could build
21:04all our bases there.
21:05These caves
21:06protect from radiation,
21:08harsh winds,
21:08and meteoroids.
21:10NASA even found evidence
21:11that some of these caves
21:12stay at a steady
21:1463 degrees Fahrenheit.
21:16That's some crazy
21:17coziness for the moon.
21:18And on top of that,
21:19there could even be
21:20some water there.
21:22So,
21:23humans could take shelter
21:24inside these natural tunnels
21:25and build entire colonies
21:27on the moon.
21:28And I know what you're thinking.
21:30Could unexpected lunar monsters
21:32hide deep in those caves?
21:34Well,
21:34sure.
21:35There's a huge potential
21:36for exploring these caves
21:37and finding some awesome stuff.
21:40But even if we manage
21:41to find a miracle,
21:42like small life
21:44or microbial organisms,
21:45there's a 99% chance
21:47that there won't be
21:48actual animals or monsters.
21:50It would just be impossible
21:51for them to develop
21:52in such conditions.
21:54But it would make
21:55a great horror movie.
21:58Researchers want to send
21:59robots or drones
22:00to explore the tunnels first
22:01and then see
22:03if they're safe enough
22:03for humans.
22:04And it's not just the U.S.
22:06getting in on the action.
22:08China is also investigating
22:09the possibility
22:10of using these moon caves
22:12as a future base,
22:13showing that the race
22:14to explore and settle
22:15the moon is eating up.
22:19You might think
22:20high-tech telescopes
22:21let us see every inch
22:22of the moon,
22:23but that's not true.
22:25At our satellite's
22:26south pole
22:26lie giant craters
22:28untouched by sunlight
22:29for eons,
22:30stuck in pitch black,
22:32colder than Pluto,
22:33and almost impossible
22:35to explore.
22:37However,
22:37maybe we have to
22:38if we want to explore space.
22:40Because the darkness
22:42hides some must-have resources
22:44that will make life
22:45and long-distance travel
22:46in space possible.
22:48Yes,
22:49we're talking about water
22:50locked up as tiny crystals
22:52in the lunar soil.
22:54Now,
22:55water in space
22:55is always good news.
22:57You've probably heard
22:58that scientists
22:59are also obsessed
23:00with finding it on Mars.
23:02If the red planet
23:03has any type of water
23:04below its surface,
23:05it raises the exciting possibility
23:07that life might have existed there.
23:10Even microbes
23:11would be the biggest discovery
23:12in human history.
23:14That's why rovers
23:15are poking around
23:16Martian craters
23:16and drilling into the soil
23:18like some very dedicated
23:19space gardeners.
23:22But as incredible
23:23as water on Mars would be,
23:25water on the Moon
23:26might be even more valuable
23:28to us in the short term.
23:30The reasons are simple.
23:31The distance
23:32and the gravity of the Moon.
23:34We can reach our satellite
23:35in three days.
23:36That's almost nothing.
23:38It takes at least seven days
23:39to reach New York
23:40from London via a cruise ship.
23:42But more important
23:43than the length of the trip
23:44is the possibility
23:46of using the Moon
23:47as a pit stop.
23:48Stop, refuel,
23:50and relaunch
23:51so we can resume exploration.
23:54The gravity on the Moon
23:55is only one-sixth
23:57as strong as Earth's.
23:59That's not just useful
24:00for endlessly entertaining yourself
24:02by jumping around.
24:03This difference
24:04means that launching rockets
24:06from our satellite
24:07is much easier
24:08compared to launching them
24:09from Earth
24:10which requires
24:11a tremendous amount of fuel
24:12just to break free
24:13from the atmosphere.
24:15For example,
24:16the Saturn V rocket
24:17which took astronauts
24:18to the Moon
24:19during the Apollo missions
24:20was made up
24:21of more than 90% fuel
24:23just to get off the ground.
24:25On the Moon, however,
24:27it's much easier
24:28to launch a rocket.
24:29That means
24:30that we could carry
24:31heavier loads
24:31with less fuel.
24:33It's like being able
24:34to take a bigger suitcase
24:35on your trip.
24:36If we can find
24:37and use ice on the Moon
24:39to create rocket fuel,
24:40it would turn our satellite
24:42into a practical
24:43and affordable stop
24:44for exploring the solar system.
24:46Not to mention
24:47that by applying
24:48some basic chemistry,
24:50we could extract oxygen
24:51from water
24:52and use it for breathing
24:53or rocket engines.
24:55Also,
24:56astronauts would need water
24:57to drink
24:58and grow crops
24:59on the lunar base.
25:00So,
25:01what do we know
25:02about the latest discoveries?
25:04For a long time,
25:05scientists thought
25:06the Moon
25:06was completely dry.
25:08But in 2009,
25:10NASA basically crashed
25:11a rocket
25:12into a crater.
25:13It caused an explosion
25:14of ice and vapor
25:16like fireworks
25:17and finally confirmed
25:19that the Moon
25:20had some kind of water.
25:22But how much?
25:23Well,
25:24enough to matter.
25:25The data suggests
25:26there could be
25:27hundreds of millions
25:28of tons of water ice
25:30locked up
25:31in the Moon's
25:31polar regions.
25:32Some estimates
25:33roughly say
25:341.3 trillion pounds.
25:36That's about the same weight
25:38as 460 million cars.
25:40Not exactly lakes,
25:42but still a lot.
25:43And there still could be more.
25:46This water could also contribute
25:48to uncovering
25:49cool scientific secrets.
25:51The ice is ancient,
25:53which makes it
25:53like a time capsule
25:54from the early days
25:55of the solar system.
25:57Studying those frozen molecules
25:59might tell us
26:00not only how water
26:01got to the Moon,
26:02but also how it appeared
26:04on Earth.
26:06Anyway,
26:07what's all that water
26:08doing on the Moon?
26:09How did it get there?
26:11Scientists assume
26:11that some of it
26:12probably hitched a ride
26:13on comets and asteroids
26:15billions of years ago.
26:17Many of those space rocks
26:18carried ice,
26:19and some of that water
26:20ended up in the polar regions.
26:23Another source
26:24could be the way
26:24solar wind interacts
26:26with the lunar surface.
26:27In any case,
26:28however this ice
26:29appeared on the Moon,
26:30the real trick
26:31is where it ended up,
26:33inside its polar craters.
26:35And while we can find
26:37the ice not only
26:38in the craters
26:38at the South Pole,
26:39that's where the largest,
26:41most stable reserves
26:42are believed to be.
26:43Some of those craters
26:44are enormous.
26:46One of the most famous
26:47is called
26:47the Shackleton Crater,
26:49and it's over 13 miles wide,
26:51and more than 2 miles deep.
26:53That's almost twice as deep
26:55as the Grand Canyon.
26:57The Moon barely tilts
26:59on its axis,
27:00only about 1 degree,
27:01so the Sun never peaks
27:03over the rims
27:03of those deep polar pits.
27:06The temperatures dip
27:07to around negative
27:08400 degrees Fahrenheit there.
27:10Any water or chemicals
27:12trapped in that frozen dirt
27:13just stay there,
27:14locked away
27:15like in a freezer.
27:17Something really cool
27:18is that at the South Pole,
27:19you have parts
27:20that are stuck
27:21in the perpetual darkness,
27:23but some nearby mountain ridges
27:25get almost non-stop sunlight.
27:28Scientists call them
27:29the peaks of eternal light.
27:31They are perfect
27:32for setting up solar panels
27:34while still being close enough
27:35to access the icy treasures
27:37hidden below.
27:39The poles of the Moon
27:40are the only places
27:41in our solar system
27:42we know of
27:43where perpetual day
27:44and night exist
27:46side by side.
27:47But the eternal night
27:49isn't just fascinating,
27:51it's dangerous.
27:52The terrain out there
27:53is absolutely unforgiving.
27:56We can't even simulate
27:57something like that on Earth.
27:58We don't even know
27:59what it looks like
28:00from the inside.
28:02It's worse than exploring
28:03the northernmost part
28:04of Antarctica
28:05while wearing a blindfold.
28:07So now that we know this,
28:09is that potential water
28:10even obtainable?
28:11That question
28:12is probably worth
28:14several trillions of dollars.
28:16Yes, there's water over there,
28:17but getting to it
28:18won't be like
28:19scooping ice cream
28:20from a bowl.
28:21What we're really talking about
28:23are microscopic ice crystals
28:24mixed into lunar dust.
28:27To make use of it,
28:28machines would need
28:29to dig and heat up the soil,
28:31then capture the vapor
28:32before it escapes
28:33back into space.
28:35And then,
28:36there's freezing.
28:37Even assuming a human
28:39or rover could safely
28:40reach the bottom
28:41of a crater,
28:42it'd be almost impossible
28:43to navigate.
28:45Batteries and equipment
28:46probably wouldn't last,
28:47and it's impossible
28:48to use solar panels
28:49or electronics down there.
28:51They'd freeze in minutes.
28:53However,
28:54NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
28:56uses all kinds of radars
28:57and sensors
28:58to sniff out
28:59what the crater
29:00looks like inside.
29:02And now,
29:03there's an even sharper tool.
29:04Shadow cam.
29:05A camera so sensitive,
29:07it can capture details
29:08in light
29:09a hundred times dimmer
29:11than what our eyes can see.
29:13Basically,
29:14the ultimate night vision device.
29:16With it,
29:17we can finally map those pits
29:19without even setting foot there.
29:21That's why engineers
29:23are thinking up
29:23all sorts of clever solutions.
29:26Some concepts involve
29:27nuclear-powered rovers
29:29with headlights strong enough
29:30to carve through the dark.
29:32Others want robots
29:33that repel down crater walls
29:35or hop across the floor
29:36like pogo sticks.
29:37There are even ideas
29:39for drills
29:40that could melt frozen soil
29:41and trap water vapor
29:43like condensation
29:44on a cold soda can.
29:45The silver lining
29:47is that this water
29:48isn't going anywhere.
29:49Until we improve
29:50our technology,
29:51the supply will wait for us.
29:53That being said,
29:55space agencies
29:56are already making advancements.
29:58In fact,
29:59more than half a dozen
30:01new missions
30:01are lined up
30:02over the next few years.
30:04NASA's Artemis program
30:06is getting ready
30:07to send astronauts
30:08back around the moon
30:09and then down
30:10to the South Pole.
30:12China's Chang'e 7
30:14is planning to check out
30:15those dark craters.
30:17And private companies
30:18like Firefly
30:19and Blue Origin
30:20are gearing up
30:21to deliver equipment
30:22and experiments.
30:24Now,
30:25here's a bonus
30:25lesser-known fun fact.
30:27The Moon Smells
30:29When Apollo astronauts
30:31brought lunar dust
30:32into their landers,
30:33it mixed with the oxygen
30:34inside
30:35and ended up
30:35smelling pretty strong.
30:37They said it was like
30:38burnt gunpowder
30:39or fireworks.
30:41Lunar dust
30:42has nothing to do
30:43with gunpowder,
30:44but its particles
30:44are highly reactive.
30:46After sitting in space
30:47for billions of years,
30:48they reacted instantly
30:50with oxygen
30:50in the cabin,
30:51creating that smoky odor.
30:54Future explorers
30:55are definitely
30:56going to notice
30:56that smell, too,
30:57since lunar dust
30:58tends to stick
30:59to everything.
31:01Let's hope that,
31:02aside from everything else,
31:03scientists will work out
31:04air fresheners
31:05for the Moon base.
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