What To Know
- The Moon is currently in the spotlight thanks to China’s Chang’e 6 mission, which aimed at the far side of the moon.
- For the authors of the study, the lunar rock would be dense enough to preserve evidence of proton decay, which is not the case on Earth.
- Drilling the lunar soil to such a depth is not simple, as is extracting the rocks and using advanced microscopy techniques on site.
In a recent study, physicists explored the possibility of drilling a 5,000-meter-deep lunar well. This is not about mining, but about scientific research. Indeed, the researchers would like to study protons more.
Proving proton decay on the Moon
The Moon is currently in the spotlight thanks to China’s Chang’e 6 mission, which aimed at the far side of the moon. The country has demonstrated a significant technological advancement by planting a lunar basalt flag on the surfaceand this, before starting his return to Earth with samples. However, one piece of news about the Moon has gone relatively unnoticed. A study led by the University of Michigan (USA) explored a surprising idea: Drill a 5 km deep well on the Moon. In their pre-published works on the arXiv platform On May 24, 2024, the researchers explained their approach. Contrary to what one might believe, the objective would not be to drill the ground to find resources. Indeed, the researchers have a completely scientific goal, namely prove that protons can decay. However, while this phenomenon has never been observed before, such a discovery could call into question many current physical theories. The scientific consensus regarding protons is that they are particles with a positive electrical charge. stable and “immortal”. However, the model has some shortcomings: it is unable to link quantum mechanics and Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity.
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A speculative idea
If one day researchers prove that protons are capable of disintegrating, then it will be possible to develop more complete models. Never observed on Earth, this phenomenon could however be observed on the Moon. Researchers are thinking of digging deep into the soil of the star in order to discover traces of ancient protons. One question may however arise: why not dig on Earth? For the authors of the study, the lunar rock would be dense enough to preserve evidence of proton decay, which is not the case on Earth. This evidence would then take the form of chemical alterations in the very structure of the rock. Researchers also believe that the Moon is an ideal terrain, because observations could not be disturbed by similar reactions of other particles as on Earth. Let us remember that the Moon has no atmosphere, which limits the risks. Thus, the 5 km of the future well correspond to a desire to call upon a sufficiently protected and spared area. Finally, scientists do not hesitate to recall that their idea is speculative. In addition, the constraints are significant. Drilling the lunar soil to such a depth is not simple, as is extracting the rocks and using advanced microscopy techniques on site. Above all, this operation involves transporting a drill from Earth.
