What in the World - Why is the moon’s south pole so special?

Download Why is the moon’s south pole so special?

India's Chandrayaan-3 is the first mission to land near the south pole. One of its main goals is to hunt for water ice. Scientists believe the deep craters on the dark side of the moon may hold frozen water as they’re permanently in shadow.

India's success comes just after Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft spun out of control and crashed trying the same thing.

Ashley Christine explains maths, science and philosophy on TikTok - she talks us through what we know about water on the moon. Our reporter in Delhi, Geeta Pandey, has been following the mission from India. And Harriet Bradshaw, our science reporter, ponders what life might be like if we lived on the moon.

Also, Indian chess fans tell us how excited they are about the World Cup final, where Pragg is going head-to-head with Magnus Carlsen.

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Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producers: Emily Horler, Benita Barden and Alex Rhodes
Researcher: Dan Eboka
Editors: Verity Wilde and Rachael Akidi Okwir

Published on Wednesday, 23rd August 2023.

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