The spectrometer LAMP mounted on Board the station Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, has allowed scientists to study the spectrum of substances in the atmosphere of the moon. In particular, it turned out that there are helium and argon. First measurements of the spectrum were held in 1972 under the project LACE made by the mission "Apollo-17".

Then, 40 years ago, equipment "Apollo" determined that the lunar helium becomes more with the coming of night. Perhaps this is because the colder atmosphere in dark" time of the lunar day, the higher concentrate atoms of this gas at low altitudes.

Although the main task LAMP is the mapping of the lunar surface, operators still decided to study the far ultraviolet radiation on the surface of the satellite. During more than fifty turns "Apollo" around the moon presence in lunar helium atmosphere was finally confirmed, the more that the equipment could drown interference interplanetary background (helium can be also in space).

"The question now is as follows, - says the project Manager LAMP Alan stern of the Southwest research Institute (USA). - Is made whether helium inside the moon - for example, due to radioactive decay in the rocks, or occur from external sources like solar wind?". In addition, researchers should find out, what happens to helium at different latitudes.

Another mystery of the moon is associated with the ionosphere. The first evidence that the moon has ionosphere were received in the 1970's, when the Soviet space probes "Luna-19" and "Luna-22" found at a height of ten miles above the lunar surface layer of charged particles, containing up to 1 thousand of electrons per cubic centimeter. Subsequently, information about presence around the moon dense ionospheric shell confirmed. But where it came from, it was completely unclear. Because the density of the lunar atmosphere in billions of times smaller than the earth!

Our planet, for example, the ionosphere is a layer of ionized gas, which is released from the air particles under the influence of sun rays of ultraviolet light. For earthly life ionosphere is very important. In particular, it reflects radio waves, affecting communication and navigation. Disturbances of the ionosphere can cause failures in the work of GPS devices.

As we can see, for creation of the ionosphere need the air. The moon almost no atmosphere, at least in our understanding. However, on the satellite's surface seeps small amount of gas that is formed in the result of radioactive decay in the lunar subsurface and impact of the solar wind. The content of gases at the surface of the moon "night" time does not exceed 200 thousand particles per 1 cubic centimeter.

"The day" it is doubled due to the decontamination of soil. This concentration is the state of deep vacuum, so the day of the moon's surface is heating up to +120 degrees Celsius, and at night or even in the shade she cooled down to -160 degrees. This gaseous envelope around the moon is so thin that it is not usually called by the atmosphere, the exosphere. And, of course, the ionosphere here will not occur. But it is all the same!

For 40 years lunar ionosphere turned heads astrophysicists. And only recently Tim Stubbs of space flight Center NASA Goddard advanced unexpected hypothesis: it is formed from the dust! In favor of this, according to Stubbs, can serve the fact that the astronauts "Apollo-15" observed above the horizon of the moon, mysterious glow. It could be caused by ionization of dust particles, shining in the rays of the rising or setting sun. According to the scientist, the resulting electric charge is enough to support the ionospheric shell. And dust on the moon, as we know, is quite enough.

By the way, not so long ago a group of chemists from Cambridge headed by Derek Frey has developed a device that is able to extract oxygen from the lunar soil - regolith. This is called a mixture of fine dust and rocky debris resulting from the meteorite fall.

Derek Frey and his colleagues have proposed a method based on the electrochemical process, designed to obtain pure metal and alloys from oxides, which are part of the regolith. This alloy is used as a cathode, and the role of the anode plays carbon.

If throughout the moon to establish such converters ground in oxygen, despite the fact that "your" livable atmosphere, the satellite is no potential colonists from Earth will have something to breathe, and they will be able to spend here a lot of time.