Scientists have discovered negative ions on the Moon for the first time. Why is this fact important?

According to NASA in SpanishHe European team which works with the NILS tool (Negative ions on the lunar surface) confirmed the success of this scientific mission who flew to the far side of the moon aboard a Chinese spacecraft Chang’e-6.

The discovery of a new plasma component on the lunar surface opens a new window for space physics and for manned and robotic missions in an era of renewed lunar exploration.

Detection of negative ions on the Moon

First negative ion detector on the Moon It worked intermittently, collecting more than three hours of data, three times more than the science teams needed for the mission to succeed. This was the first time ESA provided scientific data on the lunar surface.

The solar wind is a constant flow of radiation and particles from the Sun. The Earth’s magnetic field acts as a shield. Instead of this The moon has no magnetic field and its atmosphere, called the exosphere, is very thin. When the solar wind reaches the Moon, the surface reacts and kicks up secondary particles..

These particles can have a positive or negative charge., or no load. Although positively charged particles have been measured from orbit before, Measuring negative particles was not an easy task.

Negative ions have a short life and cannot reach orbit.. Therefore, European scientists had to use their instrument near the surface of the Moon, which is an unprecedented mission for a particle detector.

“These observations on the Moon will help us better understand the surface environment and provide guidance for studying negative ion populations on other airless bodies in the Solar System, from planets to asteroids and other moons.“, said Martin WieserPrincipal Investigator of NILS at IRF.

The scientific team is already working on high-level research publications to share the results. These measurements and the equipment used may have applications for future studies of the lunar environment.

Chang’e 6 lands successfully in a huge crater on the far side of the Moon known as the Aitken-South Pole Basin. June 1, 2024 at 22:23 GMT.

The NILS team analyzed parameters of the landing position (coordinates 153.99°W, 41.64°S), orientation, solar angle and temperature and asked for the instrument to be activated approximately four hours after landing.

NILS began collecting scientific data 280 minutes after landing. The first data collection period lasted 23 minutes until the instrument voltage dropped again. Between communications outages and restarts, several more rounds of data collection followed.

“We alternated between short bursts of full power and long recovery periods as the tool warmed up. The fact that it remained within design thermal parameters and managed to recover in extreme heat is a testament to the quality of work done by the Swedish Institute of Space Physics.” says Neil.

NILS was switched off at 14:20 GMT on 3 June 2024.

European ground stations support Chang’e 6 mission on the way to the moon and back. Shortly after launch from China on May 3, 2024, ESA’s Kourou station in French Guiana monitored the spacecraft for several hours to confirm its orbit.

Around June 25, ESA will capture signals from a spacecraft returning to Earth with lunar samples using the Maspalomas station operated by the National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA) in Gran Canaria, Spain.