Reservoir of water found on the moon

Glass beads found strewn across the moon could contain billions of tonnes of water that could be used for future lunar missions, international researchers have found.
The breakthrough discovery came through samples retrieved in 2020 by spacecraft Chang’e-5, through the Chinese Lunar Exploration Programme. It suggests that lunar soils contain a higher amount of water derived from solar wind - the flow of high-energy particles from the sun - than previously thought.
Although the moon was once thought to be dry, samples collected during the Apollo missions revealed water trapped within the lunar interior. Orbiters have since detected the presence of water across the moon’s surface - however, until now, its source was unknown.
"This work is an important advancement in our understanding of the abundance, source and storage of water at the lunar surface."
Now, following analyses of the Chang’e-5 soil samples, researchers say water is trapped inside miniscule glass beads that derive from the violent impacts of meteorites smashing into the lunar surface. The action of the solar wind on the moon's surface formed the beads.
Scientists say the water contained inside the beads can be easily extracted, providing a potential reservoir for future human activities on the moon. This means the possibility of sustainable lunar explorations in future is higher than it has ever been.

Mahesh Anand, professor of planetary science and explorations at the Open University, was co-author of the study, which was funded by the UK Science & Technology Facilities Council.
He said, “This work is an important advancement in our understanding of the abundance, source and storage of water at the lunar surface. The results suggest that the lunar soils contain a much higher amount of solar-wind-derived water than previously thought.
“Furthermore, this solar-wind-derived water appears to diffuse in and out of the glass beads over a timescale of a few years, confirming an active water cycle at the moon. This would be of significant interest for creating resources during lunar expeditions.”
The findings were published in the journal Nature Geoscience.