Chinese scientists, in a groundbreaking discovery, have found water molecules along with the minerals in the soil samples that their lunar probe brought back.
According to CNN, finding water on the moon is not new, as NASA and Indian spacecraft have already discovered what they believe to be water on the moon, but it is the first time that water was found in the molecular form of H2O.
The first time a lunar probe has brought physical samples of water molecules back to the Earth and, most importantly, from the part where it was thought that water could not exist in the molecular form.
As per the study published in the journal Nature Astronomy, Chania’s Chang’e-5 probe samples have a ‘prismatic, plate-like transparent crystal’ that has the width of a human hair, which is an ‘unknown lunar mineral’ dubbed ULM-1.
The researchers revealed that ULM-1 is roughly made up of 41% water with bits of ammonia, which keeps H20 molecules stable at wild temperatures on the moon.
Moreover, David A. Kring, principal scientist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Texas, who was not involved in the study, said, “The discovery of a hydrated mineral at the Chang’e-5 landing site is fascinating and will further enhance our understanding of rock-vapour reactions in the lunar crust and on the lunar surface.”
The scientist of the study also believed that the type of water found in ULM-1 could become a potential ‘resource for lunar habitation.’
