It's likely that we can drink lunar water, but it would require purification due to contaminants.
Understanding Lunar Water
The question of whether lunar water is potable is not straightforward. While evidence suggests its existence, it's not as simple as scooping up a glass and taking a sip. Lunar water, primarily found in the form of ice in permanently shadowed regions, is expected to contain impurities. The Canadian Space Agency's briefing highlights this concern based on data from NASA's LCROSS mission, which intentionally crashed into the moon's south polar region. The results indicated that "it is very likely that water exists on the moon, but it contains contaminants."
Challenges with Drinking Lunar Water
Here's why lunar water needs processing:
- Contaminants: As indicated by the Canadian Space Agency, lunar water is not pure. It likely contains various minerals, dust particles, and potentially other compounds that are not safe for consumption.
- Extraction: The water is frozen, and extracting it would be an engineering feat in itself.
- Purification: We would require robust filtration and purification systems to make it safe to drink.
Making Lunar Water Potable
Even though the water is not drinkable in its raw form, the concept of using lunar water is exciting, as its use could reduce resources required for long-term space missions. Here are some steps we might need:
- Extraction: Mining and melting the ice.
- Filtration: Removing large contaminants.
- Purification: Employing techniques like distillation, reverse osmosis, or chemical treatment.
Conclusion
While lunar water is expected to be present, it is not drinkable in its current state due to contaminants. It will require significant processing to make it safe for consumption.
