Studies Suggest More Ice On Moon Within Exploitable Depths: ISRO

Bengaluru: A study has revealed evidence for enhanced possibility of water ice occurrence in the polar craters of the Moon, according to ISRO. The study was carried out by the scientists of Space Applications Centre (SAC)/ISRO, in collaboration with researchers at IIT Kanpur, University of Southern California, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and IIT (ISM) Dhanbad. The recent study suggests that the amount of subsurface ice in the first couple of metres is about five to eight times larger than the one at the surface in both poles, an ISRO statement said. As such, drilling on the moon to sample or excavate that ice will be primordial for future missions and long-term human presence, the space agency said.