Although its origin, storage and movement are still unknown, we now know that water exists on the Moon. Chinese researchers have discovered small glass beads in the lunar soil that may hide water.

Furthermore, a significant amount of water is at stake, which could reach 270 billion kilograms (297.6 billion tons).

The new discoveries were made based on samples returned by China’s Chang’e 5 rover mission. In December 2020, the probe spent a few weeks collecting samples from the lunar surface, and further investigation has already produced some fascinating new discoveries.

When fragments of space rocks collide with another object, they tend to vaporize minerals that cool and turn into small glassy particles just a few tens or hundreds of micrometers in diameter. This is how small glass beads are developed. Previous research into beads discovered in Apollo lunar samples has helped disprove previous theories about the Moon’s dryness.

According to current research, a significant amount of the Moon’s water is created, although not entirely, by the Sun’s winds. This is because hydrogen ions from these solar particle showers combine with oxygen already present in the soil. the moon.

The researchers behind this latest discovery speculate that the water reservoir these beads could represent could be crucial to the lunar water cycle. Reserves held in amorphous impact glass can be used to restore water lost to space.

In their recently published study, the researchers state that “impact glass beads preserve hydration signatures and exhibit water abundance profiles consistent with internal diffusion of solar wind-derived water.”

Each glass bead can contain up to 2,000 micrograms (0.002 grams) of water per gram of particle mass. According to a study on signs of hydration, experts believe that pearls can absorb water in a matter of years.

“This short diffusion time indicates that water derived from the solar wind can quickly accumulate and be stored in lunar impact glass beads,” the researchers wrote.

Understanding all of this is crucial to helping lunar missions and bases. Long-term residence on the lunar surface could be considerably more enjoyable if they had access to this enormous water supply.

Furthermore, according to experts, water may be stored in the surface layers of other “airless bodies”, such as the Moon. As more analyzes are carried out on the Chang’e 5 samples, more similar discoveries are expected.

Geophysicist and research co-author Hu Sen from the Chinese Academy of Sciences says: “These results suggest that impact crystals on the surface of the Moon and other airless bodies in the Solar System are capable of storing water derived from the solar wind and releasing it. there. in space.”