Another source of water discovered on the moon

For a long time, scientists were sure that there were nowater, but over the past few decades, the opposite has become clear - the Earth's satellite is actually not as dry as it was supposed. Initially, it was possible to detect water at the bottom of the craters, but later it turned out that it is also present in other areas. In particular, not so long ago, researchers discovered that water evaporates from the lunar soil during daylight hours. From this we can conclude that the soil contains a large amount of water. But where does it come from? It seems that in a recent study, scientists have found an explanation for this - the source of water is the solar wind. But the most interesting thing is that glass accumulates water, which is formed when meteorites hit the lunar surface.

Scientists have discovered huge reserves of water on the moon

Where is there water on the moon?

The suggestion that glass may containwater has existed for a long time. However, confirmation was obtained only when samples of lunar soil collected by the Chinese automatic interplanetary station Chang'e-5 were delivered to Earth.

In total, within the framework of the Chinese mission, there weredelivered about 1.7 kg of lunar soil. Part of it was mined at a depth of one meter. Earlier we said that scientists discovered a high content of oxygen in the lunar regolith, as a result of which the idea arose to extract water on the Moon from lunar dust. But it seems that there is an easier way to get water on the moon's surface.

In the lunar soil, scientists have also found manyglass balls. As we said above, they were formed at the moment of impact on the lunar surface of meteorites. In a recent study, scientists found that these balls contain a fairly large amount of water - at least 0.2%. That is, each gram of a glass bead contains 2,000 micrograms of water. According to researchers, they, like sponges, absorb moisture from the environment.

This is what glass beads found on the moon look like

Note that without glass beads, water could notwould accumulate. Due to the absence of an atmosphere, puddles cannot accumulate on the Moon, as water immediately evaporates into space. However, the balls absorb liquid and retain it.

As the researchers report in the journal NatureGeoscience, in total, the glass beads on the Moon can contain between 300 billion and 300 trillion liters of water. That is, there can be more water in glass balls than in 10 lakes like Baikal. But the most important thing is that water supplies are constantly replenished.

How did water appear on the moon?

According to the results of water analysis, itformed as a result of the influence of the solar wind. This happens at the moment when the moon is illuminated by the sun's rays. The solar wind is known to be made up of protons. They are hydrogen atoms without electrons. But when these atoms hit the lunar surface, they interact with material in the regolith. As a result, water is formed, which is absorbed by the glass beads that hold water. Earlier we said that water is formed in a similar way on the surface of meteorites.

Water on the surface of the moon is formed under the influence of the solar wind

Based on how the water is distributed in the balls,scientists came to the conclusion that in each such ball it can accumulate within just a few years. This happens as a result of diffusion. Recall that diffusion is the process of mutual penetration of molecules of one substance between the molecules of another. In this case, the substance moves from an area of ​​high concentration to an area of ​​low concentration. Therefore, there is an equalization of concentrations over the entire occupied volume.

But the water in the balls is not only quickly accumulated, but also quickly released. Therefore, according to the researchers, glass beads may play a crucial role in the water cycle on the Moon.

This study is important forfuture exploration of the moon. Without a stable source of water, it will be impossible to build bases on satellites. As we said earlier, it is very expensive to deliver water from Earth. Extracting water from balloons is much easier than synthesizing it from hydrogen and oxygen, as suggested earlier. These pellets are easy to heat up.

Glass marbles may be able to provide water for future lunar bases

True, you first have to extract yourselfballoons. But, given their such feature, scientists could create a similar artificial material that would also be able to accumulate water for several years. True, it is not yet known how safe such water is for humans.

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Also, this study suggests that other objects in the solar system may also have the same glass balls filled with water. So now scientists know where to look for it.