Although we are aware that the Moon has water, we don't yet know how it
came there, where it is kept, or how it moves around. Chinese researchers
recently discovered microscopic glass beads in the lunar dirt as possible
hiding spots for water.
Additionally, there is a significant amount of water involved—possibly as
much as 270 trillion kilos (297.6 billion tons) of the substance.
Based on samples returned from China's Chang'e 5 rover expedition, the
latest results. In December 2020, the spacecraft spent a few weeks gathering
data from the lunar surface, and following research has already led to some
fascinating new findings.
Typically, tiny glass beads form when space rock fragments collide with the
surface of another object. This causes materials to vaporize and then settle
into vitreous particles that are only a few tens or hundreds of micrometers
across.
Studies
conducted in the past on crystals obtained from Apollo lunar samples have
challenged preconceived notions about the Moon's sterility.
As hydrogen ions from these clouds of solar particles combine with oxygen
already present in lunar soil, current study indicates that a significant
percentage of the Moon's water is created with a little assistance from the
Sun's winds.
The experts who conducted this most recent study believe that the store of
water that these beads may symbolize could play a significant role in the
lunar water cycle. Water can be replaced by the stores kept in the flexible
impact glass as some of it is lost to space.
In their newly
released article, the researchers state that "the impact glass beads preserve hydration
signatures and display water abundance profiles consistent with the inward
diffusion of solar wind-derived water."
For every gram of the particle's mass, each glass bead can contain up to
2,000 milligrams (0.002 grams) of water. The experts believe that the beads
can collect water in a matter of years based on a study of hydration
signatures.
According
to the experts, "this quick diffusion time indicates that the solar
wind-derived water can be rapidly accumulated and stored in lunar impact
glass beads."
Knowing all of this is incredibly helpful for assisting Moon expeditions
and bases. It might be much more pleasant to live on the lunar surface for
long stretches of time if we can access this enormous reservoir of
water.
Additionally, according to the researchers, other "airless bodies" like the
Moon may be storing water in their top layers in a similar fashion. As the
samples from Chang'e 5 are examined, expect more findings along these
lines.
According
to geophysicist and research co-author Hu Sen from the Chinese Academy of
Sciences, "These results show that the impact glasses on the surface of the
Moon and other airless bodies in the Solar System are capable of storing
solar wind-derived water and releasing it into space."
The research has been published in
Nature Geoscience.
