Water traces have been found in the glassy particles embedded in lunar soil recovered by the Chang’e-5 mission. The discovery was reported by researchers associated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Water on the Moon has intrigued scientists since the 1970s, but its clear confirmation came only in the early 2000s. Since then, extensive research has been devoted to locating lunar water and developing practical methods to extract it, given the potential it holds for supporting sustained human presence beyond Earth.
The Chang’e-5 mission, launched in late 2020, delivered a return capsule that brought about one and a half kilograms of lunar regolith back to Earth within December of that year. In a detailed examination of these samples, researchers including Hu Sen and his doctoral student He Hui identified water within the glassy inclusions formed during the impact history of meteorites on the lunar surface. The water content measured in these grains registered at roughly 2000 micrograms per gram, and the isotopic composition showed a bias toward deuterium levels that align with solar wind hydrogen ions interacting with the regolith. The scientists proposed that the microspheres functioned much like tiny sponges, trapping water and preventing it from evaporating during the long lunar day in an environment devoid of atmosphere. As temperatures rise, water does not pool but rather sublimates from ice to vapor, creating steam that rises from the surface. This mechanism helps explain how water can persist in solid or vapor forms even in harsh daytime conditions.
When considered across the broader lunar landscape, these findings suggest that the Moon may contain a substantial reservoir of water stored within such glassy structures. The study’s implications extend to other airless bodies in the solar system, where similar processes could trap and retain volatile compounds even in the absence of a protective atmosphere.
Updates on how humanity envisions the use of lunar water and how it fits into future exploration plans are available in the discussion on the ongoing development of the Moon as a hub for science and technology. The cited material provides a snapshot of the evolving understanding of water’s role in supporting long-term activity on and around the Moon (Source: socialbites.ca).