Glass beads on moon's surface may hold billions of tonnes of water, scientists say
Source: The Guardian
Tiny glass beads strewn across the moons surface contain potentially billions of tonnes of water that could be extracted and used by astronauts on future lunar missions, researchers say.
The discovery is thought to be one of the most important breakthroughs yet for space agencies that have set their sights on building bases on the moon, as it means there could be a highly accessible source of not only water but also hydrogen and oxygen.
This is one of the most exciting discoveries weve made, said Mahesh Anand, a professor of planetary science and exploration at the Open University. With this finding, the potential for exploring the moon in a sustainable manner is higher than its ever been.
Tests on the glass particles revealed that together they contain substantial quantities of water, amounting to between 300m and 270bn tonnes across the entire moons surface.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/mar/27/glass-beads-on-moon-surface-hold-billions-of-tonnes-of-water-scientists-say
EarthFirst
(2,877 posts)2naSalit
(86,043 posts)Alexander Of Assyria
(7,839 posts)Mankind, united
does more
Hints that the moon might not be an entirely arid wasteland have emerged from previous missions. In the 1990s, Nasas Clementine orbiter found evidence for frozen water in deep, steep-sided craters near the moons poles. In 2009, Indias Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft spotted what appeared to be a thin layer of water bound up in the surface layer of moon dust.
hippywife
(22,767 posts)did something get lost in translation? Are they really glass, or are they glass-like beads? Coz I'm not seeing how one extracts water from actual glass.
Geechie
(857 posts)You could puncture or break open & voila!
hippywife
(22,767 posts)I think the articles says these "beads" are about 1mm in diameter. (Can't get back to it as it's now paywalled or whatever the Guardian does.) Good luck, I guess.
jgo
(870 posts)when high-energy particles streaming from the sun the so-called solar wind strike the molten droplets. The solar wind contains hydrogen nuclei, which combine with oxygen in the droplets to produce water or hydroxyl ions. The water then becomes locked in the beads, but it can be released by heating the material."
hippywife
(22,767 posts)"locked in the beads" isn't terribly specific. Doesn't tell me if the beads are hollow, as Geechie suggested. I still say good luck given the size of these "beads".
jgo
(870 posts)eggplant
(3,891 posts)Geechie
(857 posts)Warpy
(110,900 posts)and created when asteroids and comets slam into the Moon, spraying up molten rock.
The original discovery belongs to China, that found a large quantity of "jelly" that turned out to be glass.