Moon packed with precious titanium, NASA probe finds

October 12, 2011 | Source: Space.com

The relative blue color of the Tranquillitatis mare is due to higher abundances of the titanium-bearing mineral ilmenite (Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University)

A new map of the moon has uncovered a trove of areas rich in precious titanium ore, with some lunar rocks harboring 10 times as much of the stuff as rocks here on Earth do.

Titanium-rich minerals are more efficient at retaining solar wind particles, such as helium and hydrogen. These gases would likely be vital resources in the construction of lunar colonies and for exploration of the moon, according to Arizona State University researchers.