Chinese scientists have found that a lot of water can be extracted from the lunar soil
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Nature Geoscience: ‘Glass Balls’ on the Moon Could Hold 270 Billion Tons of Water
Chinese scientists have discovered impressive reserves of water in tiny “glass balls” contained in the soil of the Moon and expect that it can be extracted on the Earth’s satellite in the future. The results of their study are published in the journal Nature Geoscience.
The researchers studied soil samples brought to Earth by China’s Chang’e-5 mission in 2020.
They discovered tiny glass bead-like impactites that formed on the surface of the moon as a result of impacts from other cosmic bodies and the influence of the solar wind on the planet.
We studied 117 glass impactites and evaluated their chemical composition, as well as the distribution of water within the collected particles. “According to our estimates, the amount of water contained in these “glass beads” can reach 2.7 × 1014 kg (270 billion tons),” the article says.
According to scientists, impactites can play an important role in the water cycle on the planet.
The Associated Press reports that the size of the studied granules is from one to several hairs in width. And at the same time, colliding with hydrogen molecules in the solar wind, they can constantly release water.
Hejiu Hui of Nanjing University, who was a participant in the study, explained that the discovery could lead to a way to mine water on the moon. The scientist said that this may be a difficult process, but the supply of such pellets on the moon is large.
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