Anew map of uranium on the moon has revealed the lunar surface to be a poorsource of the radioactive stuff, but it could help solve mysteries as to howthe moon formed.
Thisnew moonuranium map dampens hopes of a nuclear power industry on the lunar surface,researchers said.
"Forgetthings like uranium mines or nuclear reactors," said cosmochemist RobertReedy, a member of the Kaguya science team and a senior scientist at theTucson-based Planetary Science Institute. "The concentrations are very farfrom being of commercial levels."
Thenew map was created using data from Japan's Kaguya spacecraft, which launched in 2007. The spacecraft found uraniumon the moon, along with other radioactive elements, with its advanced gamma-rayspectrometer.
Kaguya crashedinto the moon's surface at the end of its mission last year.
Moon's early history
Still, by analyzingthe ratio between the naturally radioactive elements uranium and thoriumscientists may yield new insights into the formation and evolution of the moon's surface. In the new map, significant variations in theratio between uranium and thorium were revealed.
"TheKaguya gamma-rayspectrometer team wantsto finish getting maps for as many elements as possible before drawing detailed conclusionson the Moon's history," Reedy said.
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