Scientists discover water in glass spheres on the Moon – 03/28/2023 – Science

Scientists have discovered a new, renewable source of water on the Moon, in lunar samples collected by a Chinese mission, and suggest its potential use by “future explorers” of the satellite.

The water was inside small glass spheres formed by violent collisions of space rocks with the lunar surface, says the study published on Monday (28) in the journal Nature Geoscience.

The amount of water stored in the spheres is estimated at 270 trillion kilograms, according to the study. The multicolored and bright glass samples were collected on the Moon by China in 2020.

The discovery is in line with recent missions in recent decades that have shown that the Moon is not dry, contrary to the long-held belief that the satellite would be devoid of water.

How are these spheres formed?

The study by the Chinese Academy of Sciences analyzed 117 spheres collected from the surface of the Moon in 2020 during the Asian country’s Chang’e 5 lunar mission.

With no protection from the atmosphere, the Moon is bombarded by tiny meteorites, which results in the formation of spheres. The generated heat melts adjacent surface material, which then cools down into particles.

Water, which consists of hydrogen and oxygen molecules, is stored in these spheres, which act as a kind of sponge for the molecules.

How are water molecules formed?

The solar wind is a stream of charged particles emitted from the Sun’s atmosphere by the solar system. The hydrogen needed to produce water molecules comes from the solar wind, according to study co-author Mahesh Anand of the UK’s Open University.

Oxygen makes up almost half of the Moon and is trapped inside rocks and minerals.

The impact of meteorites and the constant interaction of the solar wind with the lunar surface suggests that this process could continuously produce water.

The water content is just a tiny fraction of the spheres, explained Hejiu Hui of Nanjing University, who participated in the study. As there are billions or trillions of the particles, this could represent substantial amounts of water, but mining them would be difficult, according to the researchers.

Viable option for the future?

According to Anand, a moderate heat of around 100°C would be enough to extract water from these spheres. However, this process will require a large amount of spheres, Hui pointed out.

Water could be extracted by heating the spheres, possibly by future robotic missions. However, further studies are needed to determine whether this would be feasible and, if so, whether the water would be safe to drink.

“Water is the most sought-after raw material to allow the sustainable exploitation of planetary surfaces”, points out another author of the study, Sen Hu. “Knowing how water is produced, stored and replenished near the lunar surface would be very useful for future explorers,” he added.

Other planets and solar system bodies, such as Mercury, could also have this water generated by the solar wind.

Previous studies have found water in glass spheres formed by lunar volcanic activity in samples collected by Apollo astronauts more than half a century ago.

By the end of 2025, NASA intends to send astronauts to the Moon again. That mission should focus on the satellite’s south pole, where craters are believed to be filled with frozen water.