Study looks at how water got on the moon

At least since the first manned missions to the moon in the 1960s and early '70s, the general belief was that Earth's orbiting partner was bone dry. Then, about two years ago, several lunar missions showed that's not absolutely true. Some lunar soil contains minute amounts of water molecules.

But where did water on the moon come from? Answering that question can help us understand the moon's history and evolution, but also allow future engineers to potentially tap into this resource when building a sustainable moon base.

Chinese scientists have discovered that minerals in lunar soil might have got that substance critical for life from solar wind bombarding the moon's surface with hydrogen ions, according to a study published in the journal Nature Communication on Saturday.