Upon analyzing lunar samples retrieved during the Chang'e-5 mission of China, scientists were able to detect large quantities of water trapped inside mysterious glass beads.
Lunar Glass Beads Could Be Massive Water Reservoirs
According to Live Science, up to billions of tons of water could have been trapped in these mysterious glass beads. These remarkable findings were published in a Nature Geoscience study.
The mysterious glass beads were retrieved in lunar samples that the Chang'e-5 missions had delivered back to earth in December 2020. Analysis of the samples shows that these beads could be greatly abundant and capable of storing around 330 billion tons of water throughout the lunar surface.
They may serve as water sources for future lunar bases. The Guardian reports that this also means that there may be a remarkably accessible source of oxygen and hydrogen, aside from water.
As per Live Science, these glass beads, which are also referred to as microtektites or impact glasses, form when meteorites hit the moon at insurmountably high speeds. This then expels chunks of the lunar crust into the atmosphere. Within the plumes, the heated silicate materials mix together and form small beads that scatter over the lunar surface.
Considering how lunar soil holds oxygen, these glass beads also bear the elements as well. When it is hit with ionized atoms of hydrogen that are brought about by solar wind, the oxygen reacts and forms water within the capsules. As time passes, these beads are buried under dust particles in the moon and get trapped underground.
At ideal temperature levels, there are some beads that expel water into the lunar atmosphere and surface. It then works as a water reservoir that gets refilled as time passes.
Because of this, these beads could be ideal lunar water sources. In comparison to the frozen waters that fill dark lunar craters, it may be easier to extract water from these glass beads.
Sen Hu, a co-author of the study and planetary geologist from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, says that to extract the water within these glass beads it is important to first collect the spheres, boil them, and cool the expelled water vapor. Then, one may finally have some liquid water.
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Implications for Lunar Exploration
Mahesh Anand, a professor of planetary science and exploration from the Open University, notes that this is one of their most exciting discoveries. With such findings, they are seeing high potential for sustainable lunar exploration.
It has been over 50 years since humans were able to step foot on the lunar surface. Now, NASA and other agencies are preparing to go back.
NASA's Artemis mission aims to bring the first person of color and the first woman to the lunar surface. The European Space Agency (ESA) also reportedly plans to establish a lunar village of some sort. Both of them are looking into maximizing moon resources to sustain these bases.
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