Chinese scientists find new source of water in samples from the Moon.
Scientists from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences analyzed lunar soil samples obtained in 2020 by the Chang'e 5 mission.
Sputnik Brazil - Chinese researchers have discovered evidence suggesting the existence of a frozen water reservoir of approximately 270 billion tons on the surface of the Moon, according to research published in the journal Nature Geoscience.
Scientists from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences analyzed lunar soil samples obtained in 2020 by the Chang'e 5 mission, the first Chinese probe to reach the area known as Rumker Ridge, where the Soviet Luna 24 probe landed in 1976 to collect lunar samples.
According to the article Scientifically, the water was located in impact crystals that would have formed as a result of intense volcanic activity in the past, followed by the cooling of lunar rocks caused by the constant bombardment of micrometeoroids and large meteoroids.
When these spheres come into contact with the solar wind, a water cycle process begins on the Moon, and the liquid is absorbed. through the crystal spheres, which act like a kind of sponge.
"Water derived from the solar wind is produced by the reaction of solar hydrogen with oxygen present on the surface of lunar crystalline spheres," explained Sem Hu, from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, co-author of the research.
It is estimated that a similar phenomenon may have occurred on planets such as Mercury or in celestial bodies like the asteroid Vesta. Researchers estimate that for every million crystals, 2.000 store water, while for every ton of lunar soil, 2 kg of water-containing crystals would be found.
Thus, the entire Moon may contain a reserve of 270 billion tons of water, which is why future manned missions are planning to conduct experiments to determine if it is possible to extract it and, in this way, create conditions that allow for further exploration. in space exploration.
"Water is the most coveted resource for enabling the sustainable exploration of planetary surfaces. Knowing how this water is produced, stored, and distributed on the lunar surface would be very useful for future explorers to extract and use it for exploration purposes," said Sem Hu.