Water on the moon! China has 270 billion tons of reserves

I wrote in trends he 3/27/2023 09:16 AM

A team of Chinese scientists has discovered new traces of water In shock crystals found in the lunar soil by the Chang’e 5 (CE5) mission, according to a study published in the specialized journal “Natura Geoscience”.

The group led by Professor Sen Hu of the Chinese Academy of Sciences found that these crystals It is likely to be a new water reservoir on the moonrecording the entry and exit of water derived from the solar wind and serving as buffers for the lunar surface water cycle.

As the post states, The surface waters of this satellite are of interest to the scientific community due to their potential for “in situ” use. for future missions space exploration.

After numerous lunar excursions have confirmed the presence of structural water or in the form of ice on the Moon, there is no doubt that the star contains the element found on its surface, though to a much lesser extent than on Earth.

Scientists believe that there must be yet to be identified water reserves that have the potential to buffer the water cycle The lunar surface, i.e. capable of holding water on the satellite and not escaping into space.

One member of the Chinese team suggested that these impact crystals, which are ubiquitous in lunar soil, could be candidates for investigation of “unidentified water layers or reserves.”

Crystals collected by Chang’e 5 mission –Which landed in December 2020 to collect lunar samples for two days before returning to Earth. They have “homogeneous chemical compositions and smooth surfaces”.

It is characterized by an abundance of waterIts composition reflects that it may have come from the solar wind.

According to the researchers’ conclusions, these impact crystals “acted like a sponge to dampen the surface water cycle on the lunar surface.”

“These results indicate that the influence of crystals on the surface of the moon and other airless bodies in the solar system are able to store water derived from the solar wind and release it into space,” said Professor Hu.

The Chinese Academy study was conducted in collaboration with Nanjing UniversityThe Open University, the Natural History Museum, the University of Manchester and the University of Science and Technology of China.