Glass beads on moon found to contain water

Soil could contain 270 billion tons of hydroxyl; origins remain a mystery

Chinese scientists have discovered a new water reservoir on the moon in the form of glass beads, which could be of major significance in efforts to probe for water on the Earth's only natural satellite and potentially extract it to support future lunar missions.

A study published in the journal Nature Geoscience last week revealed that the soil samples collected by China's Chang'e 5 lunar probe contained impact glass beads that held water in the form of hydroxyl, a molecule consisting of one oxygen atom and one hydrogen atom. The hydroxyl ion is one of the most common ions found in water.

These glass beads are created when meteoroids hit the moon's surface, throwing up hot molten droplets that cool and turn solid. They function like a sponge, soaking up the hydrogen atoms carried by the solar wind to form hydroxyl, thus playing a pivotal role in the water cycle of the lunar surface, the study said.