according to Research presentation In Nature Geoscience, scientists have discovered a new water source for the moon contained within tiny glass beads. China’s Chang’e 5 rover was able to retrieve 3.7 pounds of debris, including glass beads, from an impact crater after drilling a hole several feet into the moon’s surface.
Each bead contains a tiny amount of water, but scientists believe the moon has enough beads to hold 270 trillion kilograms or 71 trillion gallons.As reported by wall street journalThis water source could help future astronauts produce drinking water, breathable air and even rocket fuel, scientists say.
The solar wind carries hydrogen atoms from the sun to the moon’s surface where they combine with the oxygen in the beads to produce water, which deposits in the soil. Water in glass balls represents a potential new source of water for future astronauts, but it’s not the only water source on the Moon. Permanently shadowed craters at the Moon’s north and south poles also hide water ice. A future lunar base is on the agenda of both NASA and China.
Dr. Sen Hu, a professor at the Institute of Geology and Geophysics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, said future astronauts will need to figure out how to collect water-laden beads and heat them to about 100 degrees Celsius. claims to be. Or about 212 degrees Fahrenheit and extract the water. While this is a big deal, future lunar missions should consider other possible water sources in addition to this.
Rhonda Stroud, director of the Bussek Meteorite Research Center and professor of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University, said the researchers’ conclusions about how water got inside the beads are valid. Dr. Stroud was an outside observer. The presence of water in lunar rocks and soil is more evidence.
NASA has not visited the Moon since astronaut Gene Cernan visited it on December 14, 1972. But NASA’s Artemis program aims to have an American astronaut orbit the moon by 2024, and land on the moon shortly thereafter. In 2026, the Chang’e 7 rover is scheduled to take off at the lunar south pole. Dr. Stroud argues that current Chinese lunar missions are making significant strides in robotic sample retrieval. However, samples are also brought back by Artemis, and processing time is expected to be longer when dealing with humans.
The study’s authors also imply that similar water resources may exist on other moons in the solar system. Dr. Fu speculated, “This is a typical feature of our solar system and may be a tool for understanding other worlds.” While the discovery of water in glass beads is encouraging, more research is needed to determine its potential uses and how it could aid future lunar exploration.
Also read: Rolls-Royce is building a nuclear reactor on the Moon.Here’s why
