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[ white noise ] [ music ] Since the 1960's, scientists have suspected that frozen water
could survive in permanently shadowed craters at the Moon's poles. Both hydrogen and oxygen
could be trapped within the lunar soil. So to find water on the Moon, scientists are
looking for indications of hydrogen using the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's LEND neutron
detector. By observing the interaction of neutrons with the lunar soil, scientists can
interpret how much hydrogen is likely to be present. In order to make a detailed interpretation,
however, LEND needs to observe a large number of neutrons. Because LRO is constantly moving,
LEND is never over one place long enough to count many neutrons. So, to make a detailed
interpretation of neutron flux, scientists add together many measurements from many orbits.
With each orbit LEND's dataset gets larger and its picture of neutron flux continually
improves over time. The dark blue regions in this visualization are places on the south
pole of the Moon with a suppressed flux of neutrons because of their interaction of hydrogen.
These areas strongly suggest the presence of water frozen within the soil. While previous
lunar missions have observed indications of hydrogen at the Moon's south pole, the LEND
measurements for the first time pinpoint where hydrogen, and thus water, is likely to exist.
By combining years of LEND data, scientists see accumulating evidence that there is water
on the Moon. And as LRO continues to return data, our picture of the Moon and its water
will continue to get better in the years ahead. [ music, sound effect ]