Glass spheres formed by violent impacts of space rocks on the lunar surface have been found to have water trapped inside, offering what scientists describe as a potential reservoir of this rare resource for future human activities on the moon.
Wind on the surface of the moon
Analysis of lunar soil samples obtained in 2020 by China’s Chang’e-5 robotic mission showed that these glass spheres molten and cooled rock formed in impacts carried water molecules created by solar radiation.
planetary scientist Sen Hu of the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences says “The Moon is constantly bombarded by impactors such as micrometeoroids and large meteoroids that produce impact glass balls during high-energy flash heating,” said co-author of a study published in the journal Nature Geoscience.
The solar wind is a stream of charged particles, mainly protons and electrons, coming from the corona, the outermost part of the solar atmosphere, and passing through the solar system.
Hu says “Water from the solar wind is produced by the reaction of solar hydrogen with oxygen present on the surface of the lunar glass spheres, with the spheres then acting as a sponge for the water”.
For future lunar exploration, including potential long-term lunar bases manned by astronauts, water is vital not only as a drinking source, but as a fuel component. The moon lacks the bodies of liquid water that are a hallmark of Earth.
However, its surface is thought to harbor a fairly significant amount of water, such as in ice sheets that are found in permanently shadowed areas and are trapped in minerals.
“Water is the most sought-after commodity to enable sustainable exploration of planetary surfaces. Knowing how water is produced, stored and replenished near the lunar surface would be very useful for future explorers to extract and use for exploration purposes, We can simply heat these glass beads to release the water stored in them” said Hu.
Scientists see promise in extracting water from glass beads, perhaps through a heating process to release vapor, which would then condense into a liquid.
Capsule returning soil samples to Earth
A capsule returning soil samples to Earth has landed in the northern Chinese region of Inner Mongolia. About 3.8 pounds (1.7 kg) of soil were collected on the Chang’e-5 mission, with the 32 glass beads tens to hundreds of micrometers wide examined in the study from the small amount of soil available for this research, Hu said.
The glass beads have been found to have a water content of up to about 2,000 parts per million by weight. Hu said he believes such impact glass beads are a common part of lunar soils, occurring worldwide and distributed uniformly.
The Chang’e-5 mission, named after the ancient Chinese moon goddess, was the first of any country to retrieve samples of the lunar surface since the Soviet Union brought back about 6 ounces (170 grams) in 1976. The United States brought back 842 pounds . (382 kg) of surface samples during the Apollo program from 1969 to 1972.
The interaction of the solar wind with lunar surface materials could maintain a water cycle on the moon, with the glass spheres absorbing the water and acting as a reservoir, the researchers said.
This solar wind process could similarly provide water on other airless bodies in the Solar System, such as the innermost planet Mercury and the large object Vesta in the asteroid belt.
Written by: Vaishali verma
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