Scientists warm to possibility of moon ice

PROVIDENCE, R.I., Nov. 17 (UPI) -- Researchers at Brown University and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., say they're checking the lunar poles for evidence of ice.

Carle Pieters, a planetary geologist at the Providence, R.I., university, and her colleagues will be analyzing data from one of 11 instruments aboard the Indian spacecraft Chandrayaan-1 that began orbiting the moon earlier in November, the Providence (R.I.) Journal reported Monday.

Pieters is the principal investigator for the Moon Mineralogy Mapper that, among other things, examines sunlight bouncing off the lunar surface. Because substances reflect light at specific wavelengths, the project will provide a detailed look at the composition of the surface.

As the Indian spacecraft crosses the moon's poles, Pieters said, researchers are hoping enough light will scatter to the depths of the craters so the mapper can detect the presence of water ice.

"Everyone wants to know if there's water at the poles," she said. "It's hypothesized to be there. We know there is hydrogen (one component of water) at the poles but we don't know if there's water at the poles."

The project will be the first detailed global assessment of the moon's geology, she said.

"We've been waiting a long time for this -- about 30 years," she said. "And now it may be a reality. I'm excited."