Researchers have discovered water trapped in tiny beads spread across the surface only the Moon, according to a study published in Nature Geoscience. It is based on samples of the lunar surface brought back by China's Chang'e 5 mission. The beads embedded in the surface contained "substantial quantities" of water, the scientists said.
The samples were collected in December 2020 and researchers saw microscopic droplets trapped in minerals in them. They said the discovery may help in better understanding of the Earth's neighbour and space missions that could use it as a habitat.
According to scientists, the beads are crucial to the lunar surface's water cycle.
For years, it was believed that Moon is dry but space missions in the last few decades found water trapped inside the surface.
However, it is still unclear exactly how water will behave once it reaches the Moon. Some research has shown that the water in vapourised form fluctuates throughout the day and disappears into space, which implies that the soil should contain some kind of storage.
According to experts, the beads are made when an asteroid strikes the moon's surface and produces molten droplets. These droplets then freeze and mix with the soil and dust. As per their calculations, the impact beads that are dispersed around the surface of the moon may be storing up to 270 billion tonnes of water, which they call a huge "reservoir".
The paper said, "The impact glass beads preserve hydration signatures and display water abundance profiles consistent with the inward diffusion of solar wind-derived water."
It is to be noted that the authors speculate about several potential sources that may have "contributed" to the water source, including solar wind implantation, outgassing of volatiles during lunar volcanism, deposition of volatile-bearing pyroclastic deposits and minerals and delivery by impacts of comets and asteroids," even though the precise origins of the lunar surface water are still "largely unknown".
Planetary Scientist Sen Hu of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Geology and Geophysics, a co-author of the study told Al-Jazeera, "Water is the most sought-after commodity for enabling sustainable exploration of planetary surfaces. Knowing how water is produced, stored and replenished near the lunar surface would be very useful for future explorers to extract and utilise it for exploration purposes."
