research
Landing Exhaust Can Cross the Moon in Days
A simulation found methane from a south-pole landing could reach the north pole in under two lunar days and accumulate in scientific cold traps.
Summary
A simulation found methane from a south-pole landing could reach the north pole in under two lunar days and accumulate in scientific cold traps.
Researchers modeling the European Space Agency's Argonaut lander found that methane exhaust could hop across the nearly airless lunar surface and reach the opposite pole in less than two lunar days. Within seven lunar days, the simulation placed more than half the released methane in permanently shadowed cold traps, where scientists hope to study ancient organic material. The Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets result is a model requiring mission measurements, but it argues for contamination monitoring before lunar traffic grows.
Why it matters
A simulation found methane from a south-pole landing could reach the north pole in under two lunar days and accumulate in scientific cold traps.
Limits and context
No additional limitation was separately recorded.
Key claims
A simulation found methane from a south-pole landing could reach the north pole in under two lunar days and accumulate in scientific cold traps.
Evidence: source-2026-07-13-013
Sources
- ScienceDaily from American Geophysical UnionScienceDaily · secondary reporting
Corrections
No corrections have been recorded for this story.