Water has been detected on solid bodies throughout our solar system, from the furthest reaches on comets and Kuiper belt objects, through more surprising locations nearer the sun, such as on the Moon and Mercury. Though the majority of this water condensed early and was subsequently redistributed through dynamic and geological processes, evidence has been building over the last decade that additional hydroxyl and even water may form in the regoliths (soils) of airless bodies due to interactions between minerals and the solar wind.  <br/> <br/>Understanding the distribution, form, and abundance of water throughout the solar system is a key focus in space exploration, as it provides clues to the origin of life on Earth, the present and past habitability of other planets and moons, and a resource for future human space exploration. We will present a review of the current understanding of the water inventory of the solar system, based on remote sensing data (telescopic and orbital missions), sample studies (meteorite and returned samples) and in situ measurements. We will discuss the evidence for hydroxyl and water formation in planetary regoliths, and models for migration and sequestration of these species on bodies in the inner solar system.<br/>

Water on solid bodies in our solar system

2019 Fall National Meeting

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