Yesterday, officials from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that they are utilizing the unique capabilities of the Hubble Space Telescope to conduct new scientific observations of Earth’s Moon. 
NASA stated: The resolution and sensitivity of Hubble to ultraviolet light have enabled this telescope to search for important minerals that contain oxygen on the Moon.
Since the Moon lacks a breathable atmosphere, minerals such as ilmenite, titanium, and iron oxide could be crucial for human presence on the Moon.
Ilmenite is a potential source of oxygen for breathing or for fueling rockets. Hubble’s new observations have captured unprecedented high-resolution ultraviolet images of the Moon.
These images provide scientists with a new tool to study the variations of minerals within the Moon’s crust.
As NASA plans future explorations to the Moon, the data combined with other measurements will help identify the most valuable landing sites for both robotic and crewed missions.
NASA scientists noted: The advanced survey camera of the Hubble Space Telescope has captured sharp ultraviolet images of diverse geological areas on the Moon’s near side.
These images include the Aristarchus impact crater and the nearby Schroter Valley. The Hubble Telescope also photographed the landing sites of Apollo 15 and Apollo 17, where astronauts collected rock and soil samples in 1971 and 1972.
Scientists are comparing the properties of rock samples from Apollo locations with Hubble’s new images of the Aristarchus region, which has never been visited by robotic or crewed spacecraft.
According to NASA, Hubble’s observations of the Aristarchus crater and Schroter Valley will enhance researchers’ understanding of the diverse and noteworthy scientific materials in the area, clarifying the potential of these resources.
The Hubble Space Telescope is an international collaborative project between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA).
