China finds water on moon???a big step towards understanding the moon
Chinese scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery by identifying water molecules in lunar soil for the first time, using samples returned by the Chang’e-5 mission in 2020. This revelation holds significant implications for our understanding of the moon’s evolution and its potential resource benefits. Previously, samples collected during the Apollo missions showed no trace of water, leading to the conclusion that lunar soil was entirely arid. However, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has now reported finding a hydrated mineral in these recent samples, indicating a presence of molecular water that was not detected before.
The research, a collaborative effort involving the Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, the Institute of Physics of CAS, and several other domestic institutions, was published in the esteemed journal Nature Astronomy on July 16. Utilizing a sample from the China National Space Administration, the team examined over 1,000 mineral fragments. Among these, they identified a distinct, transparent crystal, termed “unknown lunar mineral” (ULM-1), which contained water molecules. The researchers ensured that this water-bearing mineral was not contaminated by Earthly sources or rocket emissions. Nevertheless, one geochemist anticipates that further studies will yield additional evidence to support these findings.
“One would expect to find more than one sample of this water-bearing mineral if it’s really there,” said a scientist who asked to remain anonymous and wasn’t part of the study. The quest to find water on the moon has been ongoing for decades. During the 1960s Apollo missions, when astronauts first landed on the moon, scientists had a chance to search for water directly. However, their initial tests on the lunar soil were disappointing and showed no evidence of water. This led to the belief that the moon was completely dry. It wasn’t until more recent discoveries that the idea of lunar water gained serious attention again.
In recent years, the idea that the moon is completely dry has been questioned, thanks to advances in technology like microanalysis techniques and remote sensing, as noted in the Nature Astronomy paper. For instance, in 2009, the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft from the Indian Space Research Organisation detected signs of hydrated minerals on the moon. It found evidence of oxygen and hydrogen molecules in sunlit regions of the lunar surface.
More recently, in 2020, NASA announced a significant discovery of water on the moon's sunlit surface. This finding came from data collected by the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, an airborne telescope. The data revealed water molecules in Clavius Crater, one of the moon's largest craters visible from Earth, located in the southern hemisphere. However, according to the Nature Astronomy article, the absence of lunar samples from high-latitude and polar regions means that scientists have yet to determine both the origin and the exact chemical form of the lunar hydrogen.
When the Chang’e-5 mission returned with the first lunar samples in decades from the moon's near side in 2020, it provided researchers with a new opportunity to explore various lunar mysteries, including the presence of water. These samples were much more recent than those collected during the Apollo and Soviet Luna missions five decades earlier, and they came from a higher latitude on the moon, offering fresh insights into areas previously unexamined.
In 2022, the Chang’e-5 lunar lander provided the first direct evidence of water on the moon’s surface. This breakthrough was followed by the return of China’s Chang’e-6 mission to Earth in June 2024. The Chang’e-6 mission brought back up to 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of material, collected through scooping and drilling from the moon’s oldest basin on the far side. This new batch of samples could lead to even more discoveries about the moon.
