AUBURN, Ala. (EETV) - Auburn Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering, Toshi Hirabayshi, discusses the significance of the discovery of water on the surface of the moon.
Masatoshi “Toshi” Hirabayashi is an assistant professor of aerospace engineering in Auburn University’s Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. He leads the Space Technology and Application Research (STAR) Lab, which has been involved in multiple deep space exploration missions.
Hirabayashi was asked “What is the significance of this finding and what does it mean in the grand scheme?” He explained that water is tricky and has been difficult to identify. He proceeds by later saying, “The finding is promising that water is widely distributed over the moon.”
He believes that this discovery will affect/accelerate the country’s plan to return to the moon in the coming years. Also, when asked about the source of the water Hirabayashi stated, “The source of water on the moon is still under active discussions.”
Hirabayashi believes this is the first step to better understand our neighbor and how we better understand the origin of the Earth-moon system.
