WEBVTT FILE

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Humming sound

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Music

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Since the 1960's, scientists have suspected that

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frozen water could survive in permanently shadowed craters

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at the Moon's poles. Both hydrogen and oxygen

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could be trapped within the lunar soil.

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So to find water on the Moon, scientists

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are looking for indications of hydrogen using the Lunar

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Reconnaissance Orbiter's LEND neutron detector.

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By observing the interaction of neutrons with the lunar soil,

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scientists can interpret how much hydrogen is likely to be present.

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In order to make a detailed interpretation, however,

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LEND needs to observe a large number of neutrons

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Because LRO is constantly moving, LEND is never over

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one place long enough to count many neutrons.

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So, to make a detailed interpretation of neutron flux,

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scientists add together many measurements from many orbits.

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With each orbit LEND's dataset gets larger

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and its picture of neutron flux continually improves

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over time. The dark blue regions in this visualization

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are places on the south pole of the Moon with a

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suppressed flux of neutrons because of their interaction of hydrogen.

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These areas strongly suggest the presence of water

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frozen within the soil.

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Music

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While previous lunar missions have observed indications of hydrogen

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at the Moon's south pole, the LEND measurements for the first time

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pinpoint where hydrogen, and thus water,

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is likely to exist.

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By combining years of LEND data, scientists

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see accumulating evidence that there is water on the Moon.

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And as LRO continues to return data,

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our picture of the Moon and its water will continue to get better

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in the years ahead.

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Music

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Beep, Beep, Beep

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Music