In recent decades, remote sensing observations and the analysis of returned samples have repeatedly provided evidence for the existence of water on the Moon. As there have been no direct on-site measurements to date, questions about its origin, form, and distribution remain unanswered. Prof. Philipp Reiss addresses these questions with project VOLARIS. Through a novel modeling and experimental approach, the behavior and occurrence of water within the soil, on the surface, and in the exosphere, the extremely thin atmospheric layer of the Moon, will be investigated. The research focuses on the combined physical, chemical, and thermal processes that determine the dynamic behavior of volatile water on the Moon. The insights gained will be crucial for future crewed and robotic missions, as water is not only a consumable for life support but can also be used as rocket fuel through electrolysis into hydrogen and oxygen. 

VOLARIS stands for "Volatile dynamics and regolith interactions on solar system bodies".

ERC project site: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101164002