A ‘reservoir’ of water has been discovered on the moon, containing fragments of glass ‘beads’ formed millions of years ago during asteroid bombardments.
They were identified during an analysis of lunar materials returned to Earth by China’s Chang’e-5 mission.
‘These findings indicate 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,’ said co-author Professor Hu Sen, of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing.
The lander equipped with a digger and robotic arm touched down on the moon in December 2020 in an area known as the ‘Ocean of Storms’ located on the near side. It was never visited by Nasa’s Apollo missions nearly 50 years ago.
‘Detailed studies show these glass beads are likely a new water reservoir on the Moon,’ said the study’s lead author He Huicun, a doctoral student.
‘They record the dynamic entry and exit of solar wind-derived water – acting as a buffer for the lunar surface water cycle.’
The study published in Nature Geoscience adds to evidence the entire surface is hydrated during some part of the lunar day.
Data from Nasa’s Deep Impact mission suggests that in the morning, when it is cold, there are water, hydrogen and oxygen molecules, possibly formed from the solar wind.
By noon some are lost when the moon is at its warmest. Cooling in the evening returns it to the state it was in the morning.
Prof Sen and colleagues say they have found the ‘hydrated layer or reservoir’ that has the capacity to buffer the process.
Sensitive scanning techniques revealed chemical composition of the glass beads includes an ‘abundance of water’.
‘It identifies and characterises the missing reservoir and reflects the fact the water comes from solar winds,’ said Huicun.
‘The impact glass beads acted as a sponge for buffering the lunar surface water cycle.’
Many lunar missions have confirmed water or ice on the moon but the amount is much less than on Earth.
Last week, a new study pieced together the first detailed map of water distribution on the Moon’s South Pole that could be vital for human bases.
MORE : The moon contains more water than Nasa once believed
