Characterizing water isotopes in lunar regolith simulants for ISRU applications

Recent space explorations on lunar surface and the past satellite imagery observations of lunar regolith have revealed presence of water and water ice at surface and within the lunar regolith. The moon has permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) that are ideal locations that contain trapped water. These findings have made it possible to access the potential for in situ resource utilization (ISRU), where lunar resources could be harnessed to produce fuel and other mission critical materials rather than transporting them from Earth. The sources and processes of ice-water seeding, transport, and storage are not precisely known. However, in these shadowed regions, water remains preserved in stable deposits. Previous studies have suggested hydroxyl ions and high energy hydrogen as a possible mechanism for ice water formation. This paper shows quantitively rates of diffusion and effusion of water from lunar regolith simulants representative of from lunar Mare and highland regions. We utilize mid-infrared instrument operating at 6810 nm to detect and quantify water and heavy water (and ice-water implanted in the lunar simulants.