Because of lunar surface water's importance when it comes to further explorations across space, its origins, abundance, and distribution have all become objects of focus. Now, researchers have dug even deeper to see where moon water comes from.
Where Does Moon Water Come From?
According to SciTechDaily, a research team with members of the Institute of Geology and Geophysics and the National Space Science Center (both from the Chinese Academy of Sciences) found out that soil sample grain rims from the Chang'e-5 missions were filled with high hydrogen levels and low deuterium-to-hydrogen ratio. This aligns with the existing theory that moon water comes from solar wind. Their findings were included in the PNAS publication.
As part of the study, the scientists performed simulations on hydrogen preservation within lunar soil at varying temperature levels. They discovered that water from solar wind (SW) may be preserved well in areas of the moon that have middle or high latitudes. Study author and professor Lin Yangtin from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics notes how polar lunar soils may be filled with more water compared to samples taken by the Chang'e-5.
SciTechDaily notes that prior studies have shown that lunar surface water differs depending on specific times of the day and latitude. Such clear alterations suggest a fast rate of desorption on the moon's surface.
Unlike the three Luna and six Apollo missions, the Chang'e-5 returned soil samples from an area of middle latitude. Aside from this, these samples were also taken from the youngest lunar basalts that are known and the driest basement of basalt. Hence, the samples of Chang'e-5 are vital in catering to the spatial and temporal retention and distribution of water derived from SW within the moon's regolith.
SciTechDaily reports that among the 17 grain rims from the Chang'e-5, the scientists got "NanoSIMS depth-profiling measurements of hydrogen abundance" and computed the ratio between hydrogen and deuterium.
Moon Water Could Be Used in the Future
The findings revealed that most grain rims showed high hydrogen concentrations and remarkably low δD values. This implies that they may have originated from the SW. Considering the lunar soil grain's size distribution and hydrogen composition, a huge portion of the water from SW was projected to be 46 ppm for the lunar soils of Chang'e-5. This aligns with the results of remote sensing.
Further heating experiments revealed that hydrogen implanted by SW may be preserved even after getting buried. Considering such data alongside other information, the scientists found a dynamic equilibrium model between the outgassing and implantation of hydrogen from solar wind in grains of lunar soil. This shows how temperature has a vital role in hydrogen migration and implantation.
Through such a model, the researchers were able to predict higher hydrogen abundance within soil grains across the polar regions of the moon. Professor Lin notes how such a discovery is vital when it comes to using moon water in the future. He notes that, through heating and sorting particles, it is quite easy to use the water within lunar soil.
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