China's Chang'e-5 Probe Confirms Water on the Moon

Evidence of Water Discovered on the Lunar Surface by Chang’e-5

The Chang’e-5 lunar lander, operated by China, has directly detected the presence of water on the Moon’s surface. This represents the initial instance of scientists confirming the existence of this substance directly on Earth’s natural satellite.

Analysis of Lunar Regolith

A study released in Science Advances details how Chinese researchers, utilizing data from the lander, identified indications of water molecules or hydroxyl groups. Hydroxyl is a chemical compound closely related to H2O.

The Chang’e-5 mission employed a spectrometer to examine the composition of the lunar regolith in the immediate vicinity of its landing location.

Findings indicated that the majority of the analyzed soil exhibited a water concentration below 120 parts per million. This suggests the lunar surface is considerably drier when compared to Earth.

Origin of Lunar Water

Researchers hypothesize that a significant portion of these molecules arrived on the Moon via solar wind implantation.

This process involves charged particles originating from the sun driving hydrogen atoms towards the lunar surface.

Subsequently, these hydrogen atoms combined with oxygen, resulting in the formation of water and hydroxyl.

Building on Previous Discoveries

This research expands upon earlier findings published by NASA in 2018.

NASA’s research, conducted with an airborne infrared telescope, revealed evidence of water on the Moon’s sunlit surfaces.

For many years, the scientific community largely believed the Moon to be entirely devoid of water.

This assumption was based on the Moon’s near-total lack of an atmosphere, which was thought to leave water molecules vulnerable to the sun’s intense radiation.