Small glass beads were found by researchers in soil samples delivered to Earth in 2020 by the Chinese Chang’e 5 spacecraft. The results of the study were only just revealed: they were published in the journal Nature Geoscience.
Chinese and British scientists involved in the research say the tiny beads form when meteorites strike the Moon. The researchers determined how water gets into the beads and estimated how much water the lunar soil may hold.
What scientists have learned
The research is a breakthrough in the study of Earth’s natural satellite. It matters because this potentially renewable water source could be needed by astronauts living at a future lunar base.
Professor Hezhu Hui from Nanjing University said the team studied 32 randomly selected glass beads. They found sizes ranging from the width of a single hair to several hairs. The water content is a tiny fraction of each bead—only about 0.2 percent.
These beads form when meteorites hit the Moon and melt together with the soil. As the melt cools, glassy spheres solidify, the publication reported. Daily Mail Water (H2O) forms inside them after hydrogen carried by the wind reacts with oxygen present in the soil.
By estimating that beads make up 3–5 percent of the rock sample, the team suggested there could be around 300 billion tons of water stored in lunar surface materials.
Researchers say extracting water from the glass beads should be relatively simple. Astronauts on long missions could extract it themselves. When a bead is heated above 100 °C, the water is released and can be collected using robotic devices.
Researchers plan additional studies on the Moon’s water
Scientists have long known that water ice exists on the Moon, stored in permanently shadowed areas near the poles. This new discovery suggests a more continuous cycle of water on the lunar surface.
Professor Sen Hu of the Chinese Academy of Sciences said the data indicate the lunar surface can both accumulate water and release it into space. He and his colleagues want further research — first to determine whether this water would be safe to drink.
Commenting on the findings, Professor Lewis Dartnell from the University of Westminster said the discovery of a renewable water source could significantly affect future lunar missions. It would be crucial for astronaut survival and could be split by electrolysis to produce oxygen for habitats.
Remember that about half a century ago, scientists found water in glass beads formed by lunar volcanic activity. Samples for that research were brought to Earth by the Apollo missions.
NASA plans to send a team of astronauts to the surface of the Moon by the end of 2025. They are set to reach the south pole, where permanently shadowed craters are believed to contain frozen water.
