N.I. firm’s over the moon with lunar water find

Andor kit is key to Nasa discoveries

A NORTHERN Ireland company has helped Nasa to confirm, for the first time, the presence of water on the sunlit surface of the moon.

The discover y, l ed by the space agency’s Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy, indicates that water may be distributed across the entire surface and not limited to cold, shadowed places.

Andor Technologies, based in West Belfast, is a world leader in the design and manufacture of high-performance sci entif ic i magin g cameras. Th e company’s ixon EMCCD technology was at the heart of the discovery.

Director of product management Andrew Dennis said the main imaging device that stabilises the telescope system on Sofia is based around Andor’s technology.

He told BBC Evening Extra: “The observations we’re working with on the moon now – understanding those levels of moisture, for example – that’s going to be absolutely pivotal in the exploration of Mars.

“They won’t have to transport water from Earth up to the moon [and] on to

Mars as part of the next set of missions.

“A base on the moon is the first step towards the red planet’s future exploration and finding water there to do so was a key discovery.

“I ’d be amazed if, in this current decade, we don’t get men and women landing on Mars.”

Sofia detected water molecules [H2O] in Clavius Crater, one of the largest craters visible from Earth, located in the moon’s southern hemisphere.

Previous observations of the surface had detected some form of hydrogen but

were unable to distinguish between water and close chemical relative hydroxyl [OH].

Paul Hertz, director of the Astrophysics Division in the Science Mission Directorate at Nasa HQ in Washington said: “We had indications that H2O – the familiar water we know – might be present on the sunlit side of the moon. Now we know it is there.

“This discovery challenges our understanding of the lunar surface and raises intriguing questions about resources relevant for deep space exploration.”

NEW GROUND Andor’s equipment helped Nasa locate H2O