BEIJING, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) — Chinese scientists have developed a high-resolution model to assess the thermal stability of water ice in the Shackleton Crater region near the moon’s south pole. This provides important guidance for the Chang’e 7 mission’s quest to find and analyze one of the moon’s most valuable resources.
A research team from the Key Laboratory of Solar Activity and Space Weather at the National Space Science Center (NSSC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, has developed a polar water ice thermal stability model for the Moon.
The model incorporates the thermal properties of the lunar soil at extremely low temperatures to simulate the distribution of surface radiation, soil temperature, and regions where water ice is thermally stable, according to a release from NSSC.
The study, recently published in the Journal of Planetary Science, focuses on the area around Shackleton Crater, a potential landing site for China’s Chang’e 7 mission, scheduled to launch in 2026.
One of the primary scientific objectives of the lunar probe is to perform high-precision remote sensing and in-situ detection of water ice on the Moon’s south pole.
Thermal stability of water ice refers to the difficulty of sublimation loss of ice over long geological time scales. Assessing this stability is key to understanding the distribution characteristics of water ice in the moon’s polar regions, and is particularly important in guiding the Chang’e 7 mission, China Media Group (CMG) reported on Friday.
Assessing water ice stability will guide detection efforts and help identify areas where water ice is likely to be preserved, the research team said in an NSSC release.
The new model provides a more detailed and accurate map of potential ice deposits. “The model can calculate the distribution area of illuminance, the lunar soil temperature, and the stability area of volatile substances such as water ice,” the researchers explained.
“This can be applied to the analysis of the thermal stability of water ice at the lunar south pole, especially in the landing zone of the Chang’e 7 mission, which can identify potential distribution areas of water ice and provide important support for future water ice detection missions,” the researchers said.
Successful discovery of water ice on the moon could significantly reduce the cost and time needed to transport water from Earth, facilitate the establishment of human bases for long-term operations on the moon, and enable further exploration of Mars and deep space, Tang Yuhua, deputy chief designer of the Chang’e 7 mission, previously said in an interview with CMG. ■