Water
It was 1976 when Russia claimed they were the first country to discover water on the Moon. It happened, Russia said, in the Luna 24 mission that reportedly found water. A paper was written in Geokhimiia that stated that infrared technology was used that located what was called a water band on specimens collected from the Moon.
The technology reportedly found these bands on or near the surface of the Moon and was spotted by the Luna 24. There have been disputes to this record, as there appeared to some scientists to have been high levels of water that has not been duplicated in subsequent trips to the Moon by other countries. This water is said to have been on or around the Moon’s atmosphere, and it was suggested that would impact activity on the Moon as well.
China Claims First Country to Discover Water on the Moon
China would be the next country to claim this discovery, but not until 2009. This reportedly occurred on the Chang’e 5 mission, where water was detected not just on the atmosphere of the Moon but at the site of the Chang’e 5 landing. These astronauts alleged they could see the water from the orbit of the Moon.
India Claims First Country to Discover Water on the Moon
India would be the next country to claim they were the first to discover water on the Moon. This occurred during the CHandrayaan-1 Mission, and technology from NASA’s Moon Minerology Mapper was used to detect the water in 2009. Subsequent countries have been able to replicate this.
The United States Dismisses Water on the Moon
In 1969, the United States dismissed the presence of water on the Moon through the Apollo 11 mission. Here, samples from the Moon were brought to the Earth and studied. The Apollo 11 was the first to collect samples from the Moon to assess for quantities of water.
These samples were determined to be dry and extremely dry. These samples were determined to be too dry to give any credence to any theory that there was water on the Moon. Additionally, the samples were said to not only not indicate the presence of water but conclusively suggested that the Moon was an anhydrous state and could not produce water at all. The Smithsonian Museum has reported on this extensively, saying further missions of the United States would dispel any notion that there existed water on the Moon’s surface.
