Aleksandr Bagrov (fellow of the Institute of astronomy of RAS) and Mikhail Kislitsky (St. Petersburg KB "Arsenal") has proposed an interesting hypothesis about possible sources of water for the lunar space station. In their version, this source can be a small comet, each containing hundreds of tons of water ice.


Near the moon flying about forty thousand small comets per year, the amount of which is about one meter, and they eighty percent composed of frozen water.

Previous scientific theory based on the latest data obtained in the result of automatic probes, assumed that lunar space station can get water from the polar areas of the moon. Here almost never looks the sun, and this area of the planet can be covered with a thick layer of hundreds of millions of tons of ice. In addition, according to scientists through decomposition of water into oxygen and hydrogen can be obtained rocket fuel.

But Bagrov and Kislitsky believe that the moon "permafrost" may not be the best alternative for getting water as the lunar ice is frozen regolith that strength is comparable to steel.

Scientists offer to deliver to the body of the comet engines, solar radiation, and use them to change the trajectory of the space object, causing it to enter the gravitational field of the moon. After that, on an orbit of the comet can be used to obtain water and methane.