Chinese scientists discovered that the minerals in the lunar soil brought by the Chang'e-5 Exploration Vehicle contain a high percentage of water.
Water (OH/H₂O) has been found to be ubiquitous on the Moon's surface by remote sensing, but the origin and distribution of lunar surface water remains a matter of debate due to the lack of direct sample analysis evidence.
Ratio between mineral water content and hydrogen isotope
The research team of the Institute of Geochemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which has been researching lunar soil samples recently brought by Chang'e-5, showed solar wind on the mineral surface of the Chang'e-5 Exploration Rover, thanks to their analysis with Infrared Spectroscopy and Nano-Ion Probes. They discovered a large amount of water produced by the impact of the Earthquake and estimated that solar wind implantation contributed to the formation of at least 5 ppm of water in the lunar soil brought by Chang'e-170.
TEM image of the mineral surface microstructure of Chang'e-5
According to transmission electron microscopy and energy spectrum analysis, water formation and conservation due to the influence of solar wind is mainly affected by the exposure time of the mineral, its crystal structure and composition.
The research provides an important reference for the distribution of water in the mid-latitudes of the lunar surface, proving that lunar surface minerals are important water "reservoirs".
The latest data was recently published in the international academic journal "Nature Communications".
Chang'e 5 is the ongoing space mission of the China Lunar Exploration Program.
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