Scientists Find Water Molecules in Lunar Rock Sample for the First Time (smithsonianmag.com) 9
Chinese scientists discovered water molecules in lunar samples brought back by the Chang'e 5 moon probe, marking the first time whole H2O molecules were found in lunar material. The findings have been published in Nature Astronomy. Smithsonian Magazine reports: The team used X-ray diffraction to analyze the grains of moon soil, in which they found a lunar mineral dubbed ULM-1 whose mass is made up of more than 40 percent water and also includes ammonia. "This is a new form of water stored on the moon," Xiaolong Chen, co-author of the study and physics researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, tells New Scientist's Alex Wilkins.
In the words of CNN's Jessie Yeung, water on the moon is nothing new. Though the samples brought back by the U.S. Apollo missions seemed to show that the moon was dry and lifeless, a recent study suggests that water or hydroxyl may be trapped in glass beads on the moon's surface -- and solar winds could turn the hydroxyl (chemical formula OH) into H2O, according to Yeung. And both American and Indian spacecrafts separately registered what is believed to be water on the moon's surface. This recent discovery, however, marks the first time scientists have found whole molecules of H2O in lunar samples. The findings suggest that "water molecules can persist in sunlit areas of the moon in the form of hydrated salts," the authors write in the study.
In the words of CNN's Jessie Yeung, water on the moon is nothing new. Though the samples brought back by the U.S. Apollo missions seemed to show that the moon was dry and lifeless, a recent study suggests that water or hydroxyl may be trapped in glass beads on the moon's surface -- and solar winds could turn the hydroxyl (chemical formula OH) into H2O, according to Yeung. And both American and Indian spacecrafts separately registered what is believed to be water on the moon's surface. This recent discovery, however, marks the first time scientists have found whole molecules of H2O in lunar samples. The findings suggest that "water molecules can persist in sunlit areas of the moon in the form of hydrated salts," the authors write in the study.
Congratualtions (Score:5, Interesting)
This is huge news. We suspected, but now it's been found and we have an idea of the quantities, suddenly a lot of possibilities are opened up. Permanent bases, and fuel for missions further out.
China is aiming for a manned landing around 2030. I wonder if they will go to that area. Potentially NASA could too, as they both have comms satellites in lunar orbit that make communication with the far side possible.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: Congratualtions (Score:2)
Ask all the water engine inventors who got silenced by General Motors.
Re: (Score:1)
This is *not* huge news. Water has to be available in extractible quantity to be extracted and used. I like to point out that there is gold dissolved in seawater but nobody is getting rich mining gold from the oceans because the gold is so diffuse that extracting it makes no financial sense. This paper goes out of its way to *not* announce what the percentage of water by weight was in the sample (it does say that the mineral has 41% water by weight, but it does not say how much mineral is in the sample).
The scientists have been searching (Score:2)
They have been searching the this for xiaolong, you know.
Moon broke off ... (Score:2)
From Earth rather than Earth having had captured the Moon.