Moscow, March 28 – A new source of renewable water has been discovered in lunar samples returned to Earth by a Chinese mission in 2020, according to a study published in the journal Nature Geoscience.
“According to our direct measurements of the lunar surface water reservoir, impacting glass beads can store a large amount of water generated by the solar wind on the moon,” the study says.
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The Associated Press notes that the water was trapped in tiny glassy grains of lunar mud that formed when meteorite impacts occurred. These glowing, multicolored globules were found in samples returned from the Moon by China in 2020.
According to the Associated Press, the study was conducted on 32 randomly selected grains of moon mud. Their size ranges from one hair to several hairs in width. At the same time, the grains can continuously release water when they collide with hydrogen molecules in the solar wind.
According to a team of researchers, there are billions, if not trillions, of these impact particles out there, but it won’t be easy to extract them. “Yes, we need a huge amount of glass grains. But on the other hand, there is a huge amount of grains on the moon,” Hejiu Hui, an expert from Nanjing University who was involved in the study, told the agency.
As part of future robotic missions, it may be possible to extract water by heating the pellets, the agency said, but it remains to be seen if this water is safe to drink.
“Water can be renewable on the surface of the moon… a new water reservoir on the moon,” Heijiu Hui said.
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